HogwartsSakura Style
by Daphne Li
Summary: Sakura, Tomoyo, and Rika are internationally acclaimed singers, and on their way to Hogwarts! Voldemort has arrived! Sakura is in his clutches. Only one side can triumph, but which one will? VERY IMPORTANT NOTE. READ!
1. Hogwarts!

Daphne: "All right, I am really excited about this! I have had this idea in my head for a while, and I finally chose to put it up and see what you think. This is not your normal, run-of-the-mill HP/CCS story. It is actually quite different, with POV's from the Harry Potter characters, as well as the CCS's. My pairings are a bit different as well, and I hope that you will like them!  
  
***In this story, Syaoran left after the capture of the final card, leaving Sakura heartbroken. At the age of thirteen, Sakura, Tomoyo, and Rika become internationally acclaimed singers-in more places than one. When she is sixteen, Sakura is shocked when she gets a letter from a witching school called 'Hogwarts'. Together, she, Tomoyo and Rika travel to England and start their new lives as witches.  
  
Meanwhile, Ginny Weasley is depressed. She is tired of being seen as 'Ron's little sister'. And when Dumbledore comes to her home, asking her to take care of three special 'kittens', she jumps at the chance. Even the famous Harry Potter cannot resist the cute kittens and their funny-if not sometimes weird antics. Soon though, Ginny is asked to come to Hogwarts early, just so she can show around some famous new students! And they happen to be Sakura, Tomoyo, and Rika!  
  
Many strange things happen, and pull all four girls plus Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville Longbottom, Draco Malfoy, and several other people (I will leave them a secret), into a plot so twisted, that it will take all of their magic combined, plus one teacher who knows more than he should, to untangle themselves and defeat the Dark Lord, once and for all.***  
  
So-when does Syaoran come in, and why did he really leave? Read to find out!  
  
Couples:  
  
Sakura/Syaoran  
  
Tomoyo/Eriol  
  
Rika/? (I will leave this a mystery!)  
  
Meiling/? (This too!)  
  
Ginny/Harry  
  
Ron/Hermione  
  
Plus some others, but I will leave it at that, for now!  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: CCS does not belong to me, and neither does HP, so leave me alone, or I will send my flying monkeys after you.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hogwarts-Sakura Style  
  
By: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 1.  
  
  
  
"Sakura?"  
  
Sixteen year-old Kinomoto Sakura moaned and rolled over in bed, covering her head with a pillow.  
  
"Sakura?! GET UP NOW!"  
  
"Agh!" Sakura shrieked, jolting up in bed and flinging her pillow across the room. Unknown to her, she threw a lot more than a pillow.  
  
"Ow." A voice whimpered, causing Sakura to gasp, and rush over to the pillow, pulling it off the strange little creature lying beneath it.  
  
"Sorry Kero, but you really shouldn't wake me up like that!" Sakura chided, picking the little creature up, and cradling it in her arms.  
  
"You were dreaming about *him* again, weren't you?" Kero asked, his eyes filling with worry. Sakura sighed and sat him down on her desk.  
  
"We had better hurry. I promised Tomoyo that I would meet her and Rika in the park in half an hour." Sakura muttered, going over to her closet and pulling out an outfit. It was black-leather pants, and a pink shirt with flared sleeves and a V-neck. Then Sakura added a pink-rhinestone necklace to the mix, and slipped on some sparkly-pink strap-up sandals. She then moved on to brushing her wavy, waist-length auburn hair, and then pulling it up into a messy bun. She added a touch of clear lip gloss to her rosy lips, and then smiled at her reflection. The Cards mistress was up and ready for her day!  
  
"I will be back in an hour or two, Kero. Don't mess up my room, and help yourself to the chocolates that I have stashed under my bed!" She giggled cheerfully, carefully shutting her door behind her. Her father and brother knew about Cerberus, Guardian of the Sakura Cards, but she still preferred that Kero stay in her room while they were away during the day. Kero looked out the window and watched as his mistress ran down the driveway, a then headed for the park entrance.  
  
"Oh, Sakura!" Kero whispered, moving away from the window and flying over to her dresser and picking up a picture that had been overturned to lay face-down on the surface. It was a picture of two girls and a boy, and it had been taken by Kero himself. The three young people were swinging on the swings in Penguin Park, and looking as though they were having a blast. The boy was pushing both girls alternately, as they laughed and made faces at the camera. It was the day after they had captured the final card, and Sakura still had yet to tell Syaoran how she felt, because Kero had flown into the room right after they had sealed the card and interrupted their conversation. Kero could still remember this day very well, because it was the last day they had ever seen the boy.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"Higher, Syaoran!" A girl with short auburn hair cried, as the chestnut haired boy behind her did as she had asked. The raven haired girl swinging beside her, smiled and pumped herself higher into the air, giving the two below, a little privacy.  
  
"Say cheese for the camera, Sakura!" A little yellow stuffed-animal look- alike pointed a camera in their direction and then grinned as the raven haired girl stuck out her tongue.  
  
"Hey, that is my job, Kero!" She teased, causing Kero to chuckle.  
  
"So? You always have all the fun, Tomoyo! Now, it is my turn!" He laughed, pointing the camera back at Syaoran and Sakura.  
  
"So.do you really have to leave tomorrow?" Sakura asked softly, digging her feet into the sand and looking up into Syaoran's serious amber eyes. He sighed and nodded.  
  
"I do. I just came back for a visit, Sakura. Meiling and I are returning tomorrow." Syaoran's face dropped and he carefully sat in the sand behind her. Tomoyo saw what was happening, and she quickly made her way over to Kero, to give them some privacy.  
  
"Oh.well then.Syaoran I.I lo.I." Sakura stuttered, trying to express her emotions through a barrage of tears. Syaoran's eyes filled with pain as he brushed a tear off her cheek. He took a deep breath, and then closed his eyes, trying to calm himself.  
  
"Sakura, I want you to know that, no matter what, I will always love you, even if you don't return my feelings in the same way." He whispered, standing up and then darting out of the park as fast as his legs could take him. Sakura collapsed onto the sand, sobbing, and Tomoyo rushed to comfort her friend.  
  
"I tried to tell him.but I just get too nervous! I love him so much, and it hurts, Tomoyo! It really does!" Sakura sobbed, burying her head in Tomoyo's shoulder, as the other girl stroked her hair comfortingly. Kero hovered above them, a miserable smile on his face.  
  
'Touya will love this! It was his dream to get rid of the 'gaki'.but I wonder if he will be so pleased when he finds out that Sakura is so unhappy.' Kero thought, his heart filling with remorse for his mistress.  
  
*End flashback*  
  
Kero sighed and clutched at his chest. The pain was still there. After all those years, he still felt the pain every time he thought about Sakura, and how she lived through every day, only on the hope that Syaoran would one day return to her.  
  
"But it's hopeless." Kero mumbled, turning the picture back over.  
  
"What is?"  
  
Kero turned around to see the twenty-two year old Touya step into the room and shut the door. Kero pointed at the picture and sighed.  
  
"That Syaoran will ever come back. I never could get up the heart to tell Sakura where Meiling and Syaoran *really* went after they left. Perhaps if I did, she would understand why they had to go." Kero muttered, looking out the window. Touya frowned.  
  
"Well, I do have some news for you. This, came this morning, just after the kaijuu left. An *owl* dropped it off on the door-step." Touya said, holding up a letter and dropping it on the dresser. Kero gasped and looked at the seal on the back of the letter.  
  
"But what could they want with Sakura?" Kero gasped, looking up at Touya. Touya frowned and shook his head.  
  
"I don't know. But I *do* know that Tomoyo and Rika got letters just like this one. Don't ask me why, because I."  
  
"'.don't know'. I know!" Kero said, smiling. Touya glared at him and then grinned.  
  
"So.not only is kaijuu a sorceress, she is also a.  
  
".Witch." Kero finished, his eyes widening. Then he grasped the letter and heaved it onto his shoulders. "I am going to find Sakura! She needs to see this, pronto!" Kero said, flying out the window and heading over to the park, leaving Touya to laugh and go back to his own room.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"It is the first week of summer break! What should we do?" Rika asked jokingly, as the three girls sat down on the swings of Penguin Park.  
  
"How about we.swim, sing, have picnics.did I say sing?" Tomoyo asked, grinning.  
  
"Do we have any concerts anytime soon?" Sakura questioned, looking up at the sky and starting to swing. When the girls were twelve, Tomoyo and Rika had gone to Daidouji Sonomi for help. Sakura had become so depressed, that she had shut herself up in her room, and had refused to leave it for days. Tomoyo and Rika had begged Sonomi for help, and she had gotten an ingenious idea. One of the few things that Sakura liked almost as much as her friends and Syaoran, was singing, so why not form a singing group and perform publicly? Tomoyo and Rika had thought this to be a great idea, and they had roped Sakura into it by the next day. After performing with other small bands around Tomeda for a few months, they had been spotted by a big executive and he had offered them a chance to work for his company. The three girls had jumped at the chance, and by the time they were thirteen, the 'Mortal Angels' were international stars. To protect the girls, they used stage-names in public. Sakura's was 'Cherry, Tomoyo's was 'Violet', and Rika's was 'Rose'. This, however, did not mean that Tomoyo, Rika, and Sakura had changed much, though. In fact, they were still very much the same, unless you counted their style of cloths and their hair-do's. Tomoyo made all the girl's costumes, and her style of cloths had spread to teenage girls everywhere.  
  
"I don't think that Chang (their manager) has any lined up for us in the next few weeks, but I think we may have a big one sometime in August." Rika said, pulling a pocket-calendar out of her jeans-pocket.  
  
"Oh.that is interesting." Sakura commented, ceasing her swinging, and looking up into the sky with an odd expression on her face.  
  
"What is?" Tomoyo asked, looking in the direction that held Sakura's gaze. There, in the sky, flew two owls, both carrying something.  
  
"Owls don't fly during the day, do they?" Sakura asked. Tomoyo and Rika both looked uncomfortable, as the owls swooped above them and dropped two envelopes into Tomoyo's and Rika's hands. Tomoyo frowned and rolled her eyes.  
  
"I told them that I wasn't interested in going!" She muttered, opening the envelope. Sakura looked at her in confusion, and opened her mouth to speak.  
  
"Sakura!" The three girls turned to see Kero flying towards them, an envelope draped over his shoulders.  
  
"This came for you when you weren't home, and Touya thought that I should bring it for you to see." Kero panted, handing her the envelope. Sakura looked at the paper in her hand, and gasped.  
  
"What weird paper. What is it made of?" She asked, turning the envelope over in her hands. Then she read the address outloud.  
  
"Miss Sakura Kinomoto, 337 N. Sakura Drive, Tomeda, Japan Bright pink room with white shutters."  
  
"All right.that's strange! How do they know what color my room is?" Sakura asked. By now, Tomoyo and Rika had turned pale and were looking at each other strangely. Sakura didn't notice this, though. She was more interested in the wax crest at the back of the envelope.  
  
"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to open it." She muttered, sliding a perfectly manicured nail under the wax and pulling it open. She reached for the letter, and opened it.  
  
"Dear Miss Kinomoto,  
  
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
  
Term begins on September 1. Because of the fact that you are far advanced in magic already, and the fact that you are sixteen, you will be joining our sixth year, instead of the first. Please be in London by no later than the 11th of June, and be prepared to meet our Grounds Keeper, Rubeus Hagrid at the airport. He will escort you and your two friends to Diagon Alley, where you will buy your things, and then he will accompany you back to Hogwarts, where you will receive further instructions.  
  
Yours sincerely,  
  
Minerva McGonagall  
  
Deputy Headmistress"  
  
For a moment, Sakura could do nothing but stare at her shocking letter, but finally, she managed to reveal her emotions.  
  
"KERO!!!!!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
After the initial shock, Kero had sat her down and explained about the letter. It turned out that Tomoyo and Rika had been receiving the same type of letter ever since they were eleven.  
  
"You mean to tell me, that you had the chance to go to a school for magic people, and you turned it down?! Why on God's green earth would you do that?" Sakura asked, her emerald eyes wide. Tomoyo sighed.  
  
"We didn't want to leave you alone here. So, they sent us private teachers, so no one would know, but we could still get the training we needed. But it has become to dangerous for us to stay here, unprotected. The Dark Lord, Voldemort, has returned to power. I think that is also why they are asking you to come. They didn't ask before, because you were already strong enough to be a seventh year. Since you are sixteen, they decided it would be fairer to put you in the sixth year, though." Tomoyo said. Rika held up her letter.  
  
"That is what they told me, too. Hey, did you know that we are famous in the Wizerding world as well? I just hope no one recognizes us, or we will be mobbed on the spot! We are almost as big as Harry Potter himself!" Rika exclaimed. Sakura frowned.  
  
"Who is Harry Potter?" She asked in confusion. Tomoyo and Rika looked at each other and squealed.  
  
"He is only the single most famous boy in the Wizerding World! He was the one who first defeated the Dark Lord, and brought eleven years of peace to the Wizerding World. Of course, during his first year, he had an encounter with the Dark Lord, and during his second.and during his fourth the Dark Lord came back.but he has pretty much stayed out of the limelight. Harry's best friend is a boy named Ron Weasley, and his other best friend is Hermione Granger, a muggle born girl who is dating Ron at present." Rika listed off.  
  
"What is a muggle born?" Sakura asked, her eyes darkening in confusion. Tomoyo sighed.  
  
"I suppose we have a lot of explaining to do." She said. Rika nodded.  
  
"And we should be heading for England by next Sunday, at latest. Come on. We will explain everything on the way home." Rika said, taking Sakura's arm and pulling her towards the exit of the park. Kero grinned, happy to see his mistress's mind on something other than the Chinese gaki.  
  
'Unfortunately, he will be coming back into her life a lot sooner than I would like him too." Kero thought, as he followed the girls out of the park.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"So.may I go?!" Sakura asked eagerly, her excited green eyes on her father. He smiled at her and re-read the letter.  
  
"Well, I don't see why not. You would be safer there, and since Tomoyo and Rika are going, I am sure that you will have plenty of time to practice all your new songs and such." Fujitaka consented, his gray eyes sparkling at his excited daughter.  
  
"All right! Come on, Kero! We have some packing to do!" Sakura crowed, jumping up the stairs two stairs at a time. Touya grinned at his sister's retreating back, and then he turned to his father.  
  
"I am going to visit her a lot, you know. I am not going to let some freaky Volde-dork dude mess around with my kaijuu." Touya threatened. Fujitaka smiled and nodded.  
  
"You have my full permission to visit her anytime you like. In fact, perhaps you would like to continue your schooling in England for a few years. That way, you will be closer to her." Fujitaka suggested, causing Touya's smile to grow.  
  
"I like the way you think, dad!" The young man bellowed, slapping Fujitaka across the back and then running out the front door.  
  
"I am on my way to study with Yukito for a few hours! I'll be back in time for dinner!" Touya called, slamming the front door. Fujitaka chuckled and turned back to the newspaper that he had been reading before Sakura came running into the room with her letter.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	2. Dreams

Daphne: "Here is the second chapter! Enjoy, and please review!"  
  
  
  
  
  
Hogwarts-Sakura Style  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 2.  
  
*Dream*  
  
A young man of about seventeen, with blonde hair, stood gazing up at a tall, three story house. It was a dark, cloudy night, perfect for his mission. The young man was dressed in a long black robe, and he wore a black sock-like mask over his face, with eye-holes and a mouth hole, so he could speak, if need be. Suddenly, a man appeared beside him, an older version of the boy. Then, three more young men came up behind them.  
  
"Now, you know what is expected of you, to become a death eater. Each of you will enter the house, one at a time, and kill a member of the family. Only after you do this, will you be branded as one of Voldemort's Death Eaters. Now, you will go in, in this order. Crabbe, you are first, and you have the father. Goyle, you are second, and you have the mother. Flint, you are third and you have the son. Draco.you are last. You have the daughter, and the duty of destroying the hose when you are through." At these words, the older man motioned to a large young man, and then he left. The young man pulled a stick-like thing out of his pocket, and said something. There was a flash, and the front door of the big house opened silently. The young man entered, while the others watched, breathless. After about ten minutes, there was a flash of green light, and then the young man came out of the house, triumphantly. Then the second entered. Both he and the third executed their tasks easily, without any sound or raising suspicion from the neighbors. Now it was the first boy's turn.  
  
He confidently walked into the house and up a flight of stairs. The house was dark, so he pulled out a stick, similar to the first boy's, and he murmured something. All at once, a light emitted from the end of his stick, and he continued on. In the middle of the second-floor hallway, he placed his stick in the center of his hand and whispered something. The stick spun, and then pointed at a door, near the end of the hall. The young man, smirked and quietly opened the door. Inside, was a large room, full of a rocking chair, plastic and plush toys, and rattles. It was then that the young man realized that the daughter of the house.was a baby. He spotted the crib in the corner of the room, and walked over to it, his stick pointed threateningly at the crib. Inside the crib, lay a little bundle of blankets and a tuft of white-blonde hair. The boy raised his stick towards the baby, and was about to murmur something else, when.the baby turned over.  
  
Bleary little sky-blue eyes met the boy's own icy-blue eyes, and a tiny whimper emitted from the baby's rosy lips. The young man stood, entranced, and unable to move. The baby gave a gurgle, and then it raised a tiny hand into the air, reaching for the boy. The boy gave a strangled gasp and he quickly stepped away from the crib. It was then that he realized that he would *never* be able to put out that little ray of life. He simply could not do it. Maybe it had been something in those sky-blue eyes that had done it, or maybe it was just the fact that this little innocent life could do nothing to defend itself from the horrible fate placed in front of it. Whatever the reason, the boy then made one of the hardest choices of his life. With quick precision, the young man scooped up the little baby, and rushed out of the room, thinking quickly. Instead of exiting the silent house the way that he had come, he chose to leave through a side door, and then he ran out onto the back lawn. Hurriedly, he turned around, and pointed his stick at the house.  
  
"Imensaro Destroyo!" He shouted, and then turned and dashed away into the night, the tiny bundle still clenched in his arms. In his wake, stood a tall, quickly burning house, with flames licking its roof and sending dark, appalling smoke into the night sky.  
  
*End this part of dream*  
  
Thousands of miles away, a girl with long, auburn hair turned over in bed, struggling to regain consciousness, but not succeeding. Still another dream found its way into her head.  
  
*New Dream*  
  
A tall, blonde haired young man with a bundle in his arms, ran down a dank flight of stairs, and into a large, dark room. Inside, there was a man, who was standing over a large, cauldron-like thing. The man turned and his dark eyes widened when he caught sight of the boy. The blond haired lad hurried up to the man and they began to talk in hushed whispers. All at once, the older man gave a start, and then lead the blonde boy out of the room and up to a statue that resembled a gargoyle. It jumped aside, and the two men entered it, rushing up a flight of stairs and then opening a door.  
  
Inside this room stood an old man, with a long white beard and he was wearing blue robes. He turned, a bit surprised to see them, but he listened patiently as the young man explained his dilemma. Then he gave a nod and looked as though he was thinking. He gave another nod, and then exited the room, leaving the other two to follow closely, with confused looks on their faces.  
  
The bearded man walked down another flight of stairs and then walked along a passageway until he reached a large picture portraying fruit in a bowl. The man rubbed the picture, and it formed a door handle. He reached up and opened the portrait, revealing a large, hidden room, that looked to be a kitchen. Immediately, the three men were greeted by tiny, funny-looking creatures that bowed to them and then insisted that they sit down.  
  
One creature, however, took one look at the blonde boy, and he gave a yell. The bearded man calmed it, and then began to talk. Another creature walked up beside the first and glared at the blonde boy, who knelt down and showed it the bundle in his arms. The creature looked timid, but it slowly opened the blankets, and gave a gasp. Inside, lay a tiny little blonde-haired human girl! She was fast asleep, her little fist clenched around a button on her nightdress. The creature gaped at the baby, and then looked pleadingly at the first creature. It looked unsure, but it nodded, not wishing to disappoint its companion. The blonde-haired young man gave the creature a relieved smile, and then he handed the baby to the second little creature, which looked to be a female. She gently pulled the little baby close, and began to coo over it.  
  
*End Dream*  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Far away, a pair of emerald colored eyes opened, and stared at the ceiling.  
  
"What on earth was that about?" She asked outloud. Suddenly, a yellow, stuffed-animal looking-thing popped up beside her.  
  
"Hello?!" He shouted, causing the girl to shriek and sit up in her bed.  
  
"Kero! I told you never to do that! You know how much that scares me!"  
  
"Sorry, Sakura! But have you forgotten? We are going to England today!" At Kero's words, Sakura gave another shriek and jumped out of bed.  
  
"Oh no! Am I late? I hope Tomoyo won't be angry."  
  
"Sakura! Calm down! You still have three hours! I was just getting you up early, so you could finish packing!" Kero said, patting her shoulder. She calmed down and gave him a smile.  
  
"I'm sorry! It was just.that dream was so real, almost like it had really happened." Sakura whispered, remembering how sad the blonde-haired boy had looked when he had handed the baby to that.creature-that-she-couldn't-name.  
  
"Oh. Do you think that it was prophetic?" Kero asked. Sakura shook her head.  
  
"No. If anything, it was telling me of something that happened in the past. But what, I don't know." She said thoughtfully, pulling on a delicate, white peasant-blouse, and a flowery pink skirt that reached to just below her knees. She then slipped on a pair of silky socks, and then a pair of sparkly pink sandals. She walked over to her dresser, picked up a hairbrush, and attacked her hair, pulling it up into a long ponytail.  
  
"I am going down to breakfast! Are you coming?" Sakura asked, throwing open her bedroom door and looking happier than she had in years. Kero smiled.  
  
"I'll be right there." He called, as she skipped down the stairs to the kitchen. He then looked over the things she had already packed, and sighed. There was nothing to remind her of the gaki, anywhere in sight. When Syaoran had left, she had thrown away almost all her pictures of him, and had locked all of the things he had ever given her, away in a drawer.  
  
Looking over, Kero was stunned to see that the drawer that held all of Syaoran's things, was unlocked, and empty! Quickly, Kero zoomed around Sakura's room, trying to find them. At long last, he decided to check in her suitcase, and he hit the jackpot! She had taken all of the things that reminded her of Syaoran, and put them in a secret pocket inside her suitcase! From what Kero could see, there was the picture of Tomoyo, Syaoran, and Sakura, a hair ribbon that Syaoran had given to her before he had left, some more pictures of him, that Kero didn't even know she had.and a single letter that he had written to her from the plane, on his way back to China the second time. Kero didn't know that she had this, either.  
  
"Don't worry, Sakura. You will see your *gaki* soon enough." Kero mumbled, as he quickly flew from the room and down to the kitchen.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Hey! Sakura, over here!"  
  
Sakura looked across the crowded airport to see Rika waving her hand in the air and beckoning her frantically. Sakura grinned and ran over to her friend.  
  
"Where have you been?" Rika asked, as she and Sakura walked over to where Tomoyo stood, looking out the window.  
  
"Sorry. It took my brother forever to say goodbye, and threaten me all he needed to. You would think that I was leaving forever!" She muttered, causing her two friends to laugh.  
  
"Your brother is *way* too overprotective of you!" Rika giggled. Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes, but said nothing. Tomoyo grinned, and then pulled out her video camera.  
  
"Guess what? I charmed it so it would work inside Hogwarts!" She crowed, making Sakura and Rika groan.  
  
"I thought that we weren't allowed to do magic outside of school." Rika chided, making Tomoyo grin.  
  
"I wrote Dumbledore and asked if I could. He gave me permission, just this once." She said, turning on the camera and training it on her sweat- dropping friends.  
  
"Will all passengers boarding flight two-thirty-nine seats twenty-four A through seventeen B, please check in now?" A voice over the intercom called. Sakura and Rika looked at each other in relief, and then bolted for the gate.  
  
"Hey! Wait for me!" Tomoyo shrieked, racing after them, her camera still clenched in her hand.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	3. Kittens and Ginny

Daphne: "Well, here is the third chapter! This chapter is actually the reason I asked what Rika's last name was! I had to get it for this story! Please read and review!"  
  
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Hogwarts, Sakura Style  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 3.  
  
  
  
"Wow!" Sakura managed, as she gazed around the strange and busy airport. It had been a long flight, but the girls had slept through most of it. Therefore, they were completely energized and used to the time change. (a/n: I have a friend who has been on long flights before, and she has found that if you sleep most of the time, you don't get jet-lag as much. It worked for her at least!) While Sakura was being awed by the size of the airport (or what she could see of it), Rika was watching out for this Rubeus Hagrid man that they were supposed to be meeting. Tomoyo was completely entertained as she taped everything and everyone that went past her.  
  
"Wow!" Rika gasped. Tomoyo took her eye away from the lens of her camcorder and grinned.  
  
"Sakura just said that!" She laughed, eyeing her vermilion haired friend with suppressed amusement.  
  
"Not the airport! Him!" Rika breathed, nodding towards a shadow standing near them. Tomoyo looked up and her camera fell helplessly to her side, as her arm became limp with shock. Sakura, sensing her friends distress, turned around.  
  
"HOE!!!!!" She shrieked, causing the shadow to turn and look at them. The girls now had a clear view of an enormous, rough-looking man. His face was half covered by facial hair, and his hands were big enough to dwarf a trash can lid; his face, however, was writhed in smiles. He casually walked over to the frightened girls and bent down closer to their height.  
  
"Yer' must be th' ones tha' Dumbledore sent me for. I'm Rubeus Hagrid Grounds Keeper at Hogwarts and th' teacher of th' Magical Creatures class. Ya know, it is a real pleasure meetin' ya. We almost never have visitors at Hogwarts. Now, which one of yer' is which?" The man, Hagrid, scratched the back of his head, reminding Sakura immediately of a certain someone from China. Her spirits fell, but she did not have time to dwell on the fact, as Rika was now hesitantly introducing them.  
  
"I am Rika Sasaki, and these are my friends Tomoyo Daidouji and Sakura Kinomoto." Rika said, pointing to each girl in turn. Hagrid shook each of their hands, and then stood up straight, causing his shadow to fall across their faces. He motioned them to follow him, and he quickly led them out of the airport and into a nearby alley. The three girls had to practically run to keep up with his pace. When they reached the alley, the three girls looked at each other in confusion, because they were standing in front of a brick wall. All at once, Sakura felt something stir in her pocket, and she knew that Kero was now awake. She hoped that he was not hungry, because she had put all her food in one of her other bags, and they were presently shrunk and safely tucked away in her pink backpack. In fact, both Tomoyo and Rika had requested that she shrink the rest of their baggage as well, to make it easier for them to travel. Sakura had been more than happy to oblige.  
  
"Now, on th' count of three, I want yer' ter' grab that old can, at the same time as I do. If everythin' works accordin' to plan, we will be transported into Diagon Alley, the very place where yer' will be buyin' your school things. Now, one.ter'.three!" Hagrid boomed, and the three girls grabbed the old 'Cambel's Soup' can at the same time as Hagrid did. All at once, they felt a slight tug behind their navels, and then, everything was a swirl of color.  
  
Seconds later, the four people were dropped back down to earth, and the world quit spinning. The three girls looked around groggily, and then gasped.  
  
"Welcome ter' Diagon Alley!" Hagrid crowed.  
  
Diagon Alley was nothing like the girls expected. It was quite narrow, with Wizerding shops on all sides and witches and wizards wandering around everywhere.  
  
"Hoe!" Was all Sakura could manage. As soon as they had entered the Alley, Tomoyo had turned on her camera, and was now frantically videotaping everything in sight.  
  
"Now, firs' to Gringotts Bank, and then ter' the robes shop. Yer' already have your wands, don't ya'? Hagrid asked. All three nodded. Rika and Tomoyo had gotten their wands when they were eleven, even though they were not officially going to a witching school. Rika's was holly wood, with a unicorn hair in it, and Tomoyo's was willow with a phoenix feather in it. Sakura had mastered another transformation on her normal wand; had shortened it a bit, and then taken the fancy tip off. It was now just a simple pink wand, just like the others, except for the color. She had had no wish to change that! She was still able to transform her wand back into its original state, something she knew would come in handy, some day.  
  
After getting their money from the bank, and opening a vault for Sakura, the group went to the robe shop. The woman inside was kind and helpful, but as soon as they were finished and had left the shop, Tomoyo insisted that she was going to alter them so they would look better on the girls. After visiting the robe shop, Hagrid took them to Flourish and Blots, and then to a shop to get their school books.  
  
"Hoe! How will I ever get through this?" Sakura whined, when she saw all the books. Rika simply laughed, as Tomoyo taped their reactions.  
  
"Look at it this way, Sakura. At least you don't have to worry about math homework anymore!" Rika laughed. Sakura's face lit up, and she giggled.  
  
"What now Hagrid?" Tomoyo asked, training her camera on him, and causing him to smile.  
  
"Well, I think that if yer' wanten' um, we can get yer' animals next."  
  
"Yes!" The three girls chimed, running over to a shop that they had noticed earlier, full of animals. They immediately went in and began to explore. It wasn't long before Tomoyo picked a tiny little owl, only the size of a tennis ball, with pure white feathers and bright blue eyes.  
  
"It reminds me a little of Hiiragizawa-kun! His name is Snow Ball." She laughed, making the others giggle. Soon after, Rika spotted a lovely tortoise-shell cat, and fell in love with it.  
  
"She is pregnant." The lady at the desk warned, but Rika simply became more sure, and paid for the cat without hesitation, naming it Orange. Sakura took a little longer in choosing. Finally, she spotted a small, covered cage and walked over to it. She lifted the cover, heedless of the warnings from the woman, and was stunned to see a tiny, red bird-like thing. A phoenix, Rika informed her. Except this phoenix was very different. Instead of being all scarlet, it had a scarlet body, and shimmery gold wings. It's long tail was gold as well, and its intelligent eyes were a swirl of gold, amber, and even some green. Sakura noticed that as she reached for the cage, the eyes swirled into pure green, and the little thing chirped happily, a merry little note.  
  
"Her name is Goldenrod." She announced.  
  
"Oh Sakura! It is just perfect for you.but aren't phoenix's bigger than this?" Tomoyo asked. The woman nodded and then explained that this particular bird had shown up in front of her shop one day, and had refused to leave. It had rejected and bitten anyone who dared to come near it, unless the person was feeding it. Everyone who had thought of buying the thing had immediately changed their minds when they had seen how moody the bird was. This was why the woman was so stunned when the phoenix had allowed Sakura to pet it.  
  
"It most surely was meant for you, miss." The shop-keeper stated, as Sakura paid for the bird and then walked out of the store. The three girls met Hagrid outside and he led them to an ice-cream shop across the way from the pet-shop.  
  
"Wow! Who would have guessed that ice-cream came in so many flavors? I want to try them all, eventually." Rika commented, as they sat outside the shop and ate their ice cream. Sakura giggled.  
  
"I think I will skip the blood-flavored ice cream. I can't believe that people actually eat that!" She murmured, shivering slightly.  
  
"They don't. Vampires do." Tomoyo stated, licking her vanilla ice cream with vigor. Hagrid had sent their pets and other things ahead of them, straight to Hogwarts. Then he had gone off somewhere, warning the girls to stay-put until he was back.  
  
"What do you think is going to happen to us after this? I mean, we are three months early for Hogwarts to begin.I wonder if there will be anyone here to meet us." Tomoyo mussed. Rika shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. Sakura sensed it, and then focused on her friend's mind, trying to find the reason for her discomfort. When Sakura found it, she gasped and opened her eyes, looking at Rika in shock.  
  
"You never told us. Never!" She gasped. Rika, knowing what Sakura had figured out, looked down at her triple-crunch chocolate ice cream and sighed. Tomoyo looked from one girl to the other, and, after reading Sakura's eyes, put two and two together.  
  
"Oh! How.you.you're adopted?!" Tomoyo choked, as Rika nodded miserably.  
  
"Not quite. I am a foster child. I never knew. My parents only just told me this year. I was so shocked, and I thought that he was just a friend of my dad's." Now Rika was making no sense. But one thing was clear. Rika, the girl that they both knew and loved.was a foster child! And even she had had no idea until earlier this year!  
  
"That is why I am a witch, and neither of my parents are. My *real* parents were, whoever they are, and they were killed by Voldemort. I supposedly have an older brother, but Uncle Severus wouldn't go into detail."  
  
"Wait! Who is this 'uncle Severus'?" Sakura asked. Rika smiled.  
  
"He is a Professor at Hogwarts, and also my former guardian. He kept me until my parents offered to foster me, and bring me up as their own. They couldn't possibly have adopted me, because of some strange circumstance, but they were allowed to raise me as their own. Uncle Severus is quite misunderstood at the school, from what I hear. He is the head of Slytherin house, and the Potions Professor. No one but the Slytherin house likes him much.but he is really a wonderful man! He came and visited me over the summers, pretending to be a friend of my father's. We will probably go to see him first." Rika explained.  
  
Tomoyo and Sakura had heard other things about him as well, such as, how much he supposedly 'hated' the Gryffindor house, and how cruel he was to one, Harry Potter. But they were willing to give him a chance, if he was that important to Rika.  
  
Unbeknownst to Tomoyo and Rika, Sakura had also sifted some other information out of Rika's knowledge of the teacher. He didn't really hate Harry or the Gryffindor house. It was all just an act to toughen Harry up, just in case he was forced to battle Voldemort or something. Also, this certain professor was also a spy for Dumbledore, and currently spying from inside the inner ring of Voldemort's supporters! She did not know how she gained this information, but.she was the world's most powerful sorceress, after all, so it was not surprising. Suddenly, a voice broke into her thoughts.  
  
".Please mum?"  
  
"No, darling! We simply don't have the money. I am sorry."  
  
All three girls turned to see a plump red-haired woman standing in front of the pet-shop. Next to her was a slim girl, about their age, with long, fiery red hair and sad chestnut colored eyes, looking wistfully at an owl that was perched outside of the shop, on a stand.  
  
"Come on now. We have to get your school things. For some crazy reason, Dumbledore wants you at Hogwarts a full month before the first term starts! Even your father wouldn't tell me why." The woman's voice trailed off as she and the girl disappeared into a nearby shop. As soon as they were out of sight, Sakura bounded up out of her seat and ran over to look at the owl that the girl had been eyeing. Ignoring the questioning glances from her friends, she let it climb onto her arm, and then she hurried into the shop. A few moments later, she returned, proudly holding a covered cage before her.  
  
"Sakura.what did you do, and why did you do it?" Rika asked, eyeing the cage. Tomoyo raised her camera and pointed it in Sakura's direction.  
  
"We are going to be seeing a lot more of that girl soon. She goes to Hogwarts, so I am going to ask Dumbledore when her birthday is, and then I am going to send her as an anonymous present. If her birthday has already passed, it will be an early Christmas present." Sakura stated, throwing back the cover to reveal the blinking animal. It was obviously a baby owl, with almost-gold colored wings, and bright blue eyes. They other two girls gasped in delight and cooed over the little creature.  
  
"Are ya' girls done, yet?" Hagrid was back, with a bag full of something. He had obviously heard them, but he didn't ask, so they didn't ask about his burden. They simply nodded, and then stood up and followed him. He led them to another alley, and there they went through the same process as before, this time, grabbing an old boot. Before they could blink, the girls found themselves in a wide hallway, looking up into the face of a very old- looking man.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore sir, I brought em'!" Hagrid announced, much to the older man's amusement. The three girls looked up in awe at the old man.  
  
"Good Hagrid. Come with me, please." The old man mumbled something to a stone gargoyle statue behind him, and it leapt out of the way. Sakura gasped, and stepped back from it in horror. This was the statue from her dream! And professor Dumbledore was the third man!  
  
"What is the matter dear?" He asked, turning to look at her. She motioned him to keep going, and when they had reached his office, she sat down and explained her behavior. After she was though, the Professor looked thoughtful, and he stoked his beard. Sakura had told Tomoyo and Rika on the flight over, so this was no big surprise to them. While she was telling her story, Kero had popped out of Sakura's pocket, and seeing a small bowl of lemon-drops on Dumbledore's desk, had immediately helped himself.  
  
"I believe what you saw, was Mister Draco Malfoy, Professor Snape and I discussing where little Rose was to reside during her stay here." He commented. Tomoyo and Rika were lost, but Sakura nodded.  
  
"He is a Death Eater, isn't he?" She whispered. At this, Dumbledore smiled.  
  
"As a matter a fact, no, he is not. What you saw in your dream was a ceremony that the pre-Death Eaters have to go through to prove their loyalty to Voldemort. Draco managed to escape it just before he was branded as a Death Eater. In fact, the boy brought his little victim, Rose, here so she and he would be safe. He has even joined our cause and has been sworn into the Order of the Phoenix, a group of witches and wizards who are set against Voldemort's uprising." Dumbledore explained, when he saw the girls confused faces. After a few more moments of explaining about the 'Order', the girls finally understood. After a few moments of silence, Sakura remembered the cage she was still holding, and explained to Dumbledore about her plan. He simply smiled when she was through.  
  
"Ah, I suppose you mean young Virginia Weasley, otherwise known as Ginny. She is just your age, and quite a charming little thing. In fact, you will have a wonderful time of getting to know her, because you are to stay with her family until August. It would be quite a bit more fun than staying here for three extra months!" At his words, the three girls looked at each other in excitement! They were going to stay with a true English family! All at once, they began to pound him with questions, but he simply laughed and held up his hand.  
  
"However.there is one small catch. Ginny is the only girl in her family, and the youngest of.seven children." At his words, the three girls went pale. Most of their most persistent admirers were young men, and the girls hated it when they were mobbed on the streets, just because the men couldn't control their hormones.  
  
"I should think that having the famous 'Mortal Angels', in their house would be enough for any boy to go crazy with.admiration; therefore, you will be disguised as kittens."  
  
"Hoe?!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"What color will we be?" Tomoyo asked calmly, getting annoyed glances from her friends. Dumbledore grinned again.  
  
"Any color you choose to be.even silver, if you wish. Mr. Arthur Weasley already knows about your coming, and upon our arrival, I will explain everything to Ginny as well. She will need to know, for reasons that you can clearly see. Now, I believe that there is one person who is waiting quite eagerly to see Rika before you leave for the Weasley house." At this moment, a man burst into the room, looked around wildly, spotted Rika, and then hurried over to her, giving her a big hug. Rika giggled at the man's exuberance, and hugged back.  
  
"How was your trip?" The man asked, pulling back. He had long, seemingly greasy shoulder-length hair, (but Sakura noticed that it had taken quite a lot of moose or some magical product to make it look that way). Tomoyo and Sakura glanced at each other and came up with the same conclusion. This was the infamous 'Professor Snape'.  
  
"Hello, Uncle Severus! My trip went quite well, thank you. Uncle, I would like to introduce you to my friends Tomoyo Daidouji, and Sakura Kinomoto." Rika said, as he shook each girl's hand in turn. When he had first spotted them, the professor had stiffened considerably. But when he caught sight of Sakura's sweet, innocent smile, and Tomoyo's sparkling amethyst eyes, he immediately relaxed and smiled at them.  
  
"Pleased to meet both of you." He said in a soft voice, as though he was not used to talking in this way. His sharp eyes caught sight of the owl in the cage, and he worked to keep back a smile.  
  
"Gaining another pet, Albus?" Severus asked jokingly. It was then that the girls noticed that their pets were lined up across Dumbledore's desk, beside the baby owl's cage. And on top of Sakura's phoenix's cage, sat another phoenix! This one must belong to Dumbledore, because none of the girls had ever seen it before. At his words, Professor Dumbledore chuckled.  
  
"Only for a while. It is their 'thank you' present to Ginny Weasley." Dumbledore explained. Now, this had not been the original plan, but all three girls later agreed that it would be more fun to give the baby owl to Ginny as a 'thank you' for keeping their secret.  
  
"Albus, I actually came up here to retrieve Rose's.necessaries. Has Hagrid returned with them?" Snape asked. Dumbledore motioned to the bag that Hagrid had brought back with them, and the girls immediately knew what was inside.  
  
"Are you taking care of the baby?" Sakura asked. Professor Snape did not seem surprised that she knew about the baby.  
  
"Not wholly. She is actually staying in the kitchens with the house elves until school starts, then she will be moved into a safer place, with Dobby and Winky as her care-providers." Snape explained.  
  
"Um.who are Dobby and Winky?" Tomoyo asked.  
  
"They are the two house elves that are presently taking care of her, along with Mr. Malfoy, Severus and I." Dumbledore said.  
  
"Hoe? What is a 'house-elf'?" Sakura questioned.  
  
"They are the two creatures that you saw in your dream." Rika explained. She had been reading a text-book the night before, that had told all about house-elves and other similar creatures. After a few more minutes of talking, Dumbledore pulled a watch out of his pocket and glanced at it.  
  
"I do believe that we should be going. It is two 'o' clock, and Molly Weasley has just left her home to meet Minerva at the 'Leaky Cauldron'. Harry is not scheduled to arrive at their place until four, so we have plenty of time to explain things to Ginny. Now.to get the boy's out of the house." Dumbledore mumbled, taking out his wand and saying something. Then he turned back to the small group and smiled at them.  
  
"The boy's have just had overwhelming urges to go outside and play some Quidditch. We can leave now." Dumbledore said, leading the group out of his office. Down in the hallway, Severus Snape hugged Rika goodbye, and then disappeared down another hallway. Dumbledore led the girls out onto the front lawn, where Hagrid was waiting, with a rather long piece of string. He held it out to them.  
  
"Only a minute left ter' spare, Professor." He chided. The three girls groaned as they realized that they were going to do that transporting thing again. A portkey, as Dumbledore called it. After a moment of waiting, the girls felt the familiar tug near their navels, and then they were pulled away into a swirling nothingness.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Sixteen year-old Ginny Weasley gazed wistfully out the window as she watched her brothers depart to the field behind their house. Ever since Ron had been accepted onto the Gryffindor Quidditch team as the keeper, all her older brother seemed to want to do, was practice his skills on his new Nimbus Two-thousand-and-one. It wasn't quite as fast or as flashy as Harry Potter's Firebolt, but it was perfect for Ron.  
  
Ginny sighed. Harry Potter. Handsome, smart, funny, captain of the Quidditch team, Gryffindor Seeker, her brother's best friend, and Ginny's lifelong crush. The only boy that could make all the thoughts and coherent speech simply vanish from her mind and throat. The one person who could make her heart pound, just by being in the same building as her. The only person who could possibly make the usually graceful Ginny stick her elbow into the butter dish, or drop a plate full of food into her lap. And he was also the only person who seemed to care nothing for her, save for her being the little sister of Ron.  
  
Granted, he had saved her during her first year, from that horrible Tom Riddle, aka Voldemort. And he had asked her to the Yule Ball, after pressure from Ron. Unfortunately, she had already agreed to go with Neville Longbottom, another student from Gryffindor. But all this didn't matter. What *did* matter, was that this same Harry Potter that she loved and adored from afar, was coming over later today, to stay with her family for the whole rest of the summer!  
  
Now, at any other time, this would be wonderful.except for the fact that there were still three more months of summer break! Three more months of embarrassing herself in front of this boy! And worse yet, they were having a huge party to celebrate Harry's birthday in three weeks, and Ginny didn't have anything to give him.  
  
Ginny sighed again and looked down at the book in her lap. It was a muggle book, called 'The Secret Garden'. Ron's girlfriend, Hermione Granger had loaned it to her at the beginning of the summer, and she had only now gotten around to reading it. Hermione was, not only her brother's girlfriend, but one of Ginny's closest friends. Whenever Hermione came over to visit, she and Ginny always spent long hours during the night, talking about boys and hair, and other things that Ginny usually never spoke about in front of the three brothers who still lived with her. Ginny had actually been the first person to know that Hermione had a crush on Ron, even though Harry, Ron, and Hermione were the closest of friends. Ginny also knew that Hermione had been planning on getting a make-over for her seventeenth birthday, and then knocking the socks of Ron when she showed up for Harry's birthday party.  
  
Ginny giggled softly at the reminiscence of this. By the looks of the latest letter from Hermione, it seemed that she had gone through with it, and was counting down the days before Ron fell to the floor in shock. Ginny giggled again, and opened her book back up, fully intent on reading it.  
  
"You seem happy, Miss Weasley." A voice rang out. Ginny gave a shriek and jumped up form the couch, her book falling to the floor forgotten, as she stared at Professor Dumbledore in bewilderment.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Here we are." Dumbledore whispered, when they found themselves in a small kitchen. Sakura, Tomoyo, and Rika looked around, trying to get their bearing's.  
  
"We are inside the home of the Weasley's, fondly called 'The Burrow'." Dumbledore explained.  
  
'HOE!!!!!!!!!!' Sakura shrieked, gazing down at herself in wonder. Tomoyo looked over and was startled to see, instead of her auburn haired friend, a kitten with pink fur and green eyes.  
  
'Sakura?!' Tomoyo tried to talk, but nothing came out of her mouth. Instead, the voice came from her mind. Tomoyo looked down at her own body, only to see that she too, had been changed into a kitten. She now had purply-blue fur, and amethyst eyes. A laugh interrupted her concentration, and Tomoyo looked over to see a pure silver kitten, with brown eyes.  
  
'Hey! I am quite the diva! All silver!' Rika laughed. Dumbledore waited until the girls were done admiring their transformations, and then he quietly and stealthily crept into the next room. A soft giggle rang out, and the three girls looked up to see the same girl they had spotted in Diagon Alley, now relining on a shabby couch, with a book in her lap.  
  
"You seem to be happy, Miss Weasley." Dumbledore commented. Ginny gave a startled shriek and jumped to her feet. Dumbledore simply smiled at her and then seated himself on the couch. Ginny and the three kitten/girls watched him in silence.  
  
"I am sorry, Professor, but my parents are both out." Ginny said politely, still looking thoroughly confused. Dumbledore smiled again and motioned for her to sit next to him.  
  
"I did not come to see them, Miss Weasley, I came to see you on a matter of some urgency. You see, I need you to keep a secret." With that, Dumbledore launched into the account of how the 'Mortal Angels' happened to be standing in her own living room, in the forms of three kittens. And rather cute kittens at that. When he was finished, Ginny started to laugh.  
  
"So, you mean to tell me that three of the most famous girls in the Wizerding world are here in hiding, and that is why I have to come to the school a month early? I have to show them around? I would love to! And their secret is safe with me. It is enough that I know something that no one in my family but my dad knows!" She giggled, looking down at the three kittens.  
  
'But I refuse to eat cat food!' Rika announced, making her two friends laugh. Ginny, however, looked down at them in astonishment.  
  
"You can talk through your minds?!" She gasped. The three girls nodded. Dumbledore then explained to all of them about how the three girls could communicate, and about the fact that they would have to have their normal, everyday amounts of food, instead of small, cat-sized ones.  
  
"You are still human girls, no matter what your forms. Your father has been informed, and he has agreed to sneak meals up to you. Ginny, I am afraid the task will have to fall on you during lunch time, though." Dumbledore said. At this, Ginny nodded.  
  
'I feel so insignificant, not being able to eat with my hands, or being able to get my own food, for that matter!' Tomoyo complained. Ginny laughed and assured her that it was 'not a problem'.  
  
"I have to go now, but Sakura, I want you to know that I will take care of Kero until you get back. Unless you didn't notice, he stayed behind at my office, while you came here." Dumbledore said as he left the room. To tell the truth, Sakura hadn't noticed, but she was happy that Dumbledore had told her. When he was gone, the four girls sat in silence for a while, all thinking about what had happened.  
  
"I've never had a pet before." Ginny mussed quietly.  
  
'We are not animals! We are humans. But to tell you the truth.I've never been a pet before, unless you count a 'teacher's pet'!' Rika joked, causing all four of them to burst out laughing.  
  
"So are you really going to Hogwarts this year?" Ginny asked eagerly.  
  
'Yes.' The kitten/girls chimed. Ginny grinned.  
  
'We know a lot about you. Like that you have six brothers and such.but what about *you* as yourself?' Sakura asked, jumping up on Ginny's lap and curling up into a ball, her little face tilted up towards the red-haired girl. Ginny looked thoughtful.  
  
"Well, I am sixteen, like you. I enjoy reading and taking walks. I don't like homework very much."  
  
'Hallelujah!' Sakura crowed, causing the other three to laugh again.  
  
"Anyway, Hermione Granger is one of my best friends and the girlfriend of my brother Ron, and.I like to swim." Ginny finished lamely, her color raising a bit. Tomoyo giggled.  
  
'What, no special someone for you?' She asked. Ginny turned red.  
  
"Well there is someone."  
  
'Who?' The three kitten/girls chimed. Ginny blushed even redder.  
  
"H.Harry Potter." She whispered, looking ashamed.  
  
'OHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!' The three girls chorused. Sakura snuggled closer to Ginny, to give her comfort.  
  
"Well, enough about me. What about you? I know who you are.but don't you use stage-names when you are on tour?" Ginny asked.  
  
'Yes. You know me as Cherry, but my real name is Sakura Kinomoto.' Sakura said.  
  
'I am Tomoyo Daidouji, also known as Violet." Tomoyo added stretching out her tiny self in a luxurious way, and curling up in a sun-patch.  
  
'And I am Rika Sasaki, also known as Rose.' Rika finished, curling up next to Ginny's right leg. Ginny nodded and then stroked Sakura's back.  
  
'Ummm! That feels good!' Sakura purred, closing her eyes. Ginny smiled and then picked up her fallen book and quickly immersed herself within its pages, almost as though she did not have three world-famous girls sitting in the same room with her.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	4. Harry and remembering

Daphne: "Well-here is the fourth chapter! Harry is introduced in this chapter, and also another character who you have all been waiting for, I am sure! OH! The plot is thickening! Just read and find out what I am talking about!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Hogwarts-Sakura style  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 4.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A muscular, black-haired young man with stunning green eyes stood in the middle of his room, gazing around for any articles missing from his trunk. Not noticing anything, the boy closed the large trunk, grabbed a very fancy looking broom, and then dragged them both out of his room and down the stairs to the living room. Then he dashed back upstairs to retrieve a large metal cage that was sitting on his desk. It was empty, but it seemed to be important to him. Just as he was about to leave the room again, there came a tapping at the window. The boy turned to see a white owl sitting outside, looking ruffled.  
  
"Hedwig!" With one swift bound, the boy was at his window, and letting the owl inside. The owl hooted gently, and then held out her leg as the boy took something off it.  
  
//"To Harry Potter," he read: "Harry, I can't wait to see you! Come soon! Hermione is not coming until July, so we will have some quality men time.not that I am complaining about Hermione's company, but still.come quick! Fred and George are driving me crazy, following me around the house and insisting that I try all the new things from their joke shop. Blimey, I need someone who is sane in the house! Please help! Sincerely, Ron."//  
  
The young man, Harry, gave a chuckle and helped his owl into the metal cage. Then, after folding the letter and putting it into his pocket, he ran back down the stairs of his aunt and uncle's house. They had gone out that morning, to avoid being there when he did that 'funny stuff', as Harry's cousin Dudley Dursley put it. That 'funny stuff', was in fact, throwing a pinch of Floo Powder into the fire, and then jumping in after it, calling out the name of the place you wanted to go. It was like an instant messenger, except instead of sending messages, it sent the person! Harry had purchased a little of the powder in Diagon Alley the last time he had visited, and he found that it came in handy.  
  
"Ready Hedwig?" Harry asked, picking up his things and placing them beside the roaring fire that he had started a few moments before. The owl hooted, and Harry took this as an invitation to throw the powder into the fire and then step into it with his things.  
  
"The Burrow!" Harry shouted. He closed his eyes as he began to shoot past chimneys and fireplaces. As soon as he felt himself slowing down, he put out his hands, and tumbled into the Weasley's living room, making quite a noise. His trunk, broom, and owl hurtled in after him. With a slight groan, Harry stood and brushed the soot off his clothes. It was then that Harry noticed he had not been greeted by the usual sounds of the Weasley house. No one had come to greet him, and no sound came from the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley usually was found cooking something or other. For once, the ghoul in the attic was silent, and even Ron was nowhere in sight.  
  
"Hello?!" Harry called, looking around anxiously. All at once, there was the sound of tiny padding feet, and a kitten skidded into the room. It had strange pink fur, and bright green eyes. This one was followed by two more, a pure silver ball of fur with brown eyes, and a purplish-blue kitten with amethyst eyes. They all stared at him, curious, and then they tumbled back up the staircase.  
  
"Hey, wait!" Harry called, casing after them. They came to a stop as a door opened next to Harry, and a girl appeared.  
  
"Really! I thought someone was dying.Harry!" The last word came as more of a half-gasp, half-shriek. Harry looked up to see a very pale, very flustered-looking Ginny. For a moment, Harry froze, unable to form any coherent speech. Then something brushed up against his leg, and he looked down to see the silver kitten looking up at him, its eyes seeming almost to laugh at him. Only then was Harry able to speak.  
  
"I just saw your.erm.kittens and I thought I would follow them to see where they would go." He said lamely, flinching at the words. Ginny was just as embarrassed.  
  
"Oh, they are just frisky. I.didn't know that you had come, or else I would have greeted you. I am sorry. If you want, Ron, Fred and George are out at the 'Quidditch Pitch'." She said quickly, her cheeks turning a bit red.  
  
"Actually, I am kind of tired. I think I will just stay here.by the way. Where is everyone else?" He asked. Ginny shot him a weak smile.  
  
"Oh, Mum has gone to have tea with Professor McGonagle, and the boys are playing Quidditch. OH! Would you like me to help you carry your things up to Ron's room?" Ginny asked quickly. Harry was about to refuse, but she was already at the bottom of the stairs, so he simply followed her.  
  
"Hello Hedwig!" Ginny chirped, opening the cage and letting the owl free. It hooted a thank you, and then flew out an open window. Then Ginny reached over and grabbed one handle of Harry's trunk. Harry took the other one, and they slowly made their way up the steep flight of stairs, Ginny still holding Hedwig's cage, and Harry carrying his broom under one arm.  
  
By the time they had reached Ron's room, they were both exhausted. They dropped the trunk on the floor and then plopped down on the bed. That was when Harry noticed that Ron's usually bright-orange room had been remodeled. The posters of the Chuddly Cannons were gone, and in their place, light blue paint covered the walls. Ron's orange comforter was gone as well, and replaced by a forest green one.  
  
"He got tired of the posters. He and dad found some paint in the attic and they painted the room. Then mom went out and got the comforter for him." Ginny said softly, noticing Harry's confusion. Harry nodded in understanding, and then jumped as the pink kitten leaped into the room and onto his lap. It gazed up at him with intelligent green eyes and then looked over at Ginny. For some reason, she turned bright red and shook nodded her head.  
  
"What's the matter?" Harry asked, worried. Ginny looked up at him and blushed even more.  
  
"Nothing!" She said a little too quickly. Harry frowned slightly, but didn't push the subject. He brushed a strand of his ever-messy black hair out of his eyes, and then stroked the kitten in his lap.  
  
"Well how have you been." He began.  
  
"Ginny? Ginny! When is Harry supposed to get here? Ginny?!" A voice, Ron's, shouted up the stairs. Ginny sighed and Harry grinned at her.  
  
"Let me answer him." He chuckled, winking saucily at her. One thing that Ginny had forgotten to mention to her new kitten friends.Harry Potter had also become known as one of the school's biggest heart-breakers. He had dated quite a few girls, for short periods of time, and he ignored all the others. It just depended on his mood. He had also become more sure of himself, and to some people, even a bit cocky. But this had nothing to do with his being famous.  
  
"Oh, I'm not sure Ron. Perhaps he is already here!" Harry called down the stairs in a high voice, making himself sound like a very squeaky girl. There came a great bout of laughter from downstairs, as Harry pranced down the stairs, pretending to hold up a skirt as he walked. Ginny giggled hysterically and retreated to her room, with her three new friends on her heals. Harry may have become a heart-breaker, but he was still the same old Harry, through and through.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Why did you say that?!" Ginny cried, as soon as they were safe in her room. Sakura laughed.  
  
'Say what?' She asked cheekily. Ginny glowered at her.  
  
"That Harry and I looked 'cute' together? Harry would never look at me twice! He was just being polite." Ginny insisted, causing the three kitten/girls to laugh again and change the subject.  
  
'Come on, Ginny! Let's get you dressed for supper!' Tomoyo squealed, prancing over to Ginny's closet and pawing it open. She carefully gazed at all there was to offer, and then she jumped up, and pawed a shirt off its hanger. Ginny picked it up and looked at it. It was an old, creamy-white peasant blouse of hers, that her mother had bought for her at a second-hand shop. Then Tomoyo moved over to the dresser, and with superhuman strength (at least for a kitten), pawed open a drawer and jumped in. After a few moments, she was back again, looking dissatisfied.  
  
'Nothing. Sakura, could you.' Tomoyo went over and whispered into Sakura's ear. Sakura nodded, and then padded into Ginny's closet. Tomoyo pushed the door shut.  
  
'Ready!' She called. There was a flash of light from inside the closet, which made Ginny jump backwards onto her bed. Then the closet door opened on its own, and Sakura came trotting out, batting a large bundle of fabric in front of her. Ginny eyed it for a moment, and then picked it up, unfolding it at she did so.  
  
"Oh my.how did you do that?!" Ginny gasped, as she caught sight of the light green Capri's.  
  
'It is all in the wrist, darling.' Rika commented, jumping up on the bed. They weren't about to admit that Sakura had used her sorceress powers to make the Capri's for Ginny! Ginny grinned and then slipped on both articles of clothing. When she was through, she looked at the product and gaped.  
  
'Very nice! The colors really bring out your skin tone and hair color.' Sakura commented, before Tomoyo instructed Ginny to brush her hair. Ginny did as she was told, and then, with some careful instructions from Tomoyo, did her hair as well. When she was finished, her long, waist-length red hair was pulled up into braids, and then tastefully twined around her head. It was secured by a few mother-of-pearl clips that Sakura 'happened' to have on her person (or kitten body--), and then Ginny was done!  
  
'I like dressing people up!' Tomoyo announced, her amethyst eyes sparkling.  
  
"Thank you very much." Ginny breathed, gazing at herself in the mirror. Then she added a bit of muggle make-up that Hermione had given her last year, to the picture.  
  
"What do you think?" She asked. The three kittens giggled.  
  
'You will knock his socks off!'  
  
'He will never know what hit him.'  
  
'He's putty in your hands.'  
  
At their comments, Ginny blushed and acted as though she had no idea what they were talking about. But in truth, her heart was pounding at the thought of Harry even glancing at her.  
  
"Ginny, supper!" Molly Weasley's voice trilled up the stairs.  
  
"Coming mum!" She called back, opening her door and slowly walking down the stairs, the kittens close behind. As she entered the kitchen, Ginny noticed that everyone but her was seated at the table, waiting for her. Her father looked up and smiled, his eyes widening a bit.  
  
"Honey, you look great. How was your day?" He asked, causing everyone else to look up. Ginny nodded slightly, trying to keep from blushing as everyone's, (excluding her father's) mouths dropped open.  
  
"Fine dad. What about yours?" She returned as she sat down, ignoring the gaping mouths and helping herself to the casserole in the middle of the table.  
  
"Same as always I suppose. The ministry is in an uproar, though, because that girls singing group.who are they? Oh yes, the 'Mortal Angels'. Well, they are attending Hogwarts this year, and the ministry wants everything perfect for their arrival." Mr. Weasley watched his daughter closely as he said this, and missed the stunned and excited looks that the four boys were giving each other. The 'Mortal Angels' were the hottest singing group in the whole Wizerding world! And they were going to be attending Hogwarts? This was a dream-come-true! Ginny didn't even wince.  
  
"Oh, they are? How wonderful! I hope at least one of them gets into Gryffindor." She said nonchalantly, starting to eat her supper. That was when the three kitten/girls decided to make their appearance. With tiny little mew's and purrs, they skidded into the kitchen, causing Mrs. Weasley to scream.  
  
"Oh, good heavens! Where did they come from?!" She gasped, making Ginny stifle a giggle.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore brought them over this afternoon, mum. He thought I would like them." Ginny said casually, as though the Headmaster visited every day. Molly Weasley plopped down onto her chair in shock, and the little purple-blue kitten jumped into her lap.  
  
"He also said that they only eat people food, and not cat food, mum." Ginny added quickly, looking at her father out of the corner of her eye. He was petting the little silver kitten and smiling at his wife. Ginny looked over and saw the four boys were herded over the pink kitten, petting it and commenting about its pink fur.  
  
"What have you named them?" Mrs. Weasley asked weakly, stroking the kitten in her lap, behind its ears, as it purred contentedly.  
  
"Well, that one is Violet, that you are holding, dad has Rose, and the boys have Cherry." Ginny said. Ron looked up and grinned.  
  
"So you named them after the 'Mortal Angels', did you?" He asked teasingly. At this, Ginny burst into laughter, causing the three kitten/girls to turn and glare at her.  
  
'Don't give us away!' They all chimed at the same time. She nodded, and then calmed.  
  
"You could say that." She said, starting at her food again. Everyone followed her example and returned to eating.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
As Harry petted the little pink kitten, he couldn't help but glance back up at Ginny again. She certainly had changed over the past few years. Her red hair had grown longer and more luxurious, and was quite pretty, braided up like that. Her brown eyes sparkled with life, but also with a knowledge beyond her years. Her body had filled out into womanly curves, that he could see now that she wasn't wearing her school robes any longer. Her rosy lips had become fuller and more luscious.  
  
Shocked at where his thoughts were headed, Harry shook himself and then looked down at the kitten, who seemed to be gazing at him with a knowing look. Harry shuddered at the thought, that perhaps the kitten *did* know what he was thinking. Heaven Forbid! Then the kitten bounded off his lap and he breathed a sigh of relief. He watched as Ron laughingly punched Fred in the shoulder, after the older boy made a comment about how 'sweet' Ron and Hermione looked together. Then his gaze fell on Ginny again, who was watching her father with an amused look on her face. Harry looked over just in time to see Mr. Weasley sticking his wand underneath the table and mumbling a few words. Curious, Harry glanced under the table, and was shocked to see the three kittens feasting from three full plates of the casserole that Mrs. Weasley had made!  
  
Harry quickly clapped a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing, and as he looked up his eyes met Ginny's laughing ones, and they both had to look away to keep from laughing out loud. Near the end of dinner, Harry saw Ginny nod at her father, who immediately made the three plates disappear. The kittens were now happily sitting at Ginny's feet.  
  
"Time for chess!" Ron crowed, jumping up from the table and dragging the laughing Harry away. Fred and George followed, not wishing to miss the spectacle of Harry being horrendously beaten by Ron. Mr. Weasley joined his sons and Harry, while Mrs. Weasley and Ginny cleaned up and washed the dishes. When they were through, they wandered back into the living room. Mrs. Weasley settled down next to her husband to watch the game, while Ginny curled up at the end of the couch, reading one of her new textbooks. The kittens curled up around her, and it almost seemed as if they were reading as well. What the others didn't know, was that they really were!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Ha! I win again! Another go, Harry?" Ron asked, as he beat Harry for the third time in a row. The clock above the fireplace was now reading, 'Way past bed-time'. Slowly, the room emptied out, first Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, then the twins, who were sleepily mumbling something about another idea for their joke shop. Finally, Ron picked up the pieces of his game and carried them up the stairs. Harry sat back in the couch, and placed his arms on the back of the couch. In his mind, he was sifting through all the things that had happened today, and storing them for future memory. The sound a turning page made him look over, and then he started. He hadn't noticed that Ginny was still curled up next to him on the couch, her eyes riveted on her book. The kittens had gone back upstairs when the twins had, but Ginny had not seemed to notice.  
  
Again, Harry was struck by how much his friend's little sister had grown up. From a shy (at least around him) little girl, to a lovely, seemingly self-assured young woman. And all in the period of five short years! As he watched, she slowly tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear, and a her hand fell, it brushed against Harry's arm. Startled, she looked over at him, her eyes wide. He only just managed to smile at her nonchalantly.  
  
"Aren't you tired?" He questioned softly, his arm never leaving its position just behind her neck. With her eyes still wide, she shook her head slightly, and then, as an afterthought, nodded it even slower.  
  
"I was just so interested in the book I am reading." She mussed. Harry moved closer to her, and looked over her shoulder at the book.  
  
//"The Clow Cards." He read the sub-title outloud.  
  
"The Clow Cards are said to be the most powerful magical items ever created by a mortal man. Created by the great Sorcerer, Clow Reed, the cards are believed to have held natural forces, such as wind, water, fire, and earth. It is said that Clow Reed created these forces for the good of man-kind, but eventually, the forces became too powerful. He trapped them in special cards he made himself, the Clow Cards. Soon after creating the cards, however, Clow died, and the cards disappeared into oblivion. Many have searched for the cards, including Clow's descendants, of the Royal family of Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the cards have never been retrieved. With the card's unlimited powers, any person who posses the cards, will have unlimited power as well. This is why it has become most important that the cards are found. If found by the wrong person, the cards can be used for highly evil purposes.  
  
The Clow cards are thought to be guarded by two Guardians that Clow created, just for the purpose of watching over the cards, and making sure that no one who was unworthy could use them. Unfortunately, this could not stop some from trying. One of the guardians is called Cerberus, Guardian Beast of the Seal. It is supposed to guard the cards themselves. The second is Yue, who is responsible for the 'Final Judgment'. It is presently unknown what the 'Final Judgment's purpose is.  
  
Lately, in the small town of Tomeda, Japan, strange happenings and strong auras have led to the belief that the Clow Cards have been discovered and released. This theory, however, has not been proven. Some say it was just the Dark Lord, preparing for his return. Whatever the reason, we had best hope that the Clow Cards are either still safely hidden, or in the hands of someone who will use them wisely."//  
  
For a moment, Ginny and Harry sat silently, mulling over what Harry had just read. Neither of them seemed to notice that Harry's arm had fallen from the back of the couch and onto Ginny's shoulders.  
  
"Wait! Look here! It says that Clow Reed had some descendants, looking for the cards. The Royal family of Hong Kong! Isn't that.*him*?" Ginny asked, her eyes widening. Harry knew who she was talking about. Once again, they fell into silence, and then Harry stood up, still not realizing where his arm had just lain.  
  
"I think that I am going to bed." He commented, standing up, running a hand though his ever-messy hair and stretching luxuriously, while stifling a yawn. Ginny, who had glanced up as he stood, watched in dawning awe as Harry's muscles rippled beneath his baggy shirt, which hid a perfect, muscular figure. Stretching as he was now, made Harry closely resemble a contented cat. A very handsome cat. A very handsome and *sexy* cat.  
  
'NO, Ginny! Bad!' She chided herself, pulling her gaze away from his heavenly body and looking back down at her book as he climbed up the stairs. She waited until she heard Ron's door open, and then shut again, before she stood up, and left the room. When she reached her bedroom, she quickly got into her nightgown and climbed into bed. Rika and Tomoyo were already curled up on her pillow, fast asleep.  
  
Suddenly, Ginny sat up with a gasp. She had just realized where Harry's arm had been the entire time he was reading, and the thought made her shiver with delight and delicious horror. Harry Potter, *the* Harry Potter, had put his arm around *her* shoulder! Suddenly, she heard something hit the floor upstairs, and she smiled, laying back down in bed.  
  
Little did she know, that at the same moment, Harry had realized where his arm had been, and that noise had been his feet hitting the floor in shock as he too, sat up in bed.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Downstairs, in a secluded part of the living room, a tiny little figure entered into the firelight, tears in its eyes. Pink fur rippled in a shiver, as the figure began to cry harder.  
  
It was Sakura. She had come downstairs to ask Ginny for a drink, and had heard everything that Harry had read. But this was not what had upset her. It was a memory, faint and old.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"Give me the Clow Cards!" A chestnut haired boy was yelling, as he shoved a girl with short, auburn hair and emerald eyes into a fence.  
  
"NO!" She had shouted back, as her best friend came around the corner.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
That was how it had started. The 'Royal family of Hong Kong' *had* found the cards. But they had not been able to take them away from that one small girl. Instead, they had forced the chestnut haired boy to help her capture the rest of the cards. But even after that was done.he had not returned home. Instead, he had stayed and helped her through changing the cards. Why? Because he had fallen in love with her.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"Syaoran-kun! Are you all right? What's the matter?"  
  
"Sakura-I-I-I love you!"  
  
All the girl felt was a numb shock as the boy got up and ran away from her.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
After that, she had realized just how much she loved and needed him. But he had left. Had gone back to China to finish his training. Only once had he come back, to help her capture the final Clow Card. She had tried to tell him then, she really had.but it never worked out. He left again, this time, taking the majority of her heart with him, and leaving the rest of it broken.  
  
Over the past few years, her friends had managed to help her numb the pain, and to push him back into the farthest chambers of her mind.but he was still there. Always there. And this had only brought it back to the surface. She needed him! She couldn't stand it!  
  
With a sob, Sakura collapsed onto the carpet and wept openly, kitten-like squeaks erupting from her throat. His image was in front of her, behind her, in her forever! But he himself.would never return, this she was sure of. The clan would force him to marry some other girl, and eventually, he would fall in love with her, and forget all about his cherry blossom. But she would never, could never forget him.EVER. With another great sob, Sakura lost control of herself, and could do nothing but cry and let out her shrill kitten-wails.  
  
'Syaoran-kun.'  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"What is that?!" Ginny cried, waking up to shrill kitten-howls. Tomoyo and Rika were staring wide-eyed at the door, and then at each other.  
  
'Sakura!' They shouted, jumping off the bed and pelting out of the room with Ginny on their heals. When they reached the living room, Harry, Ron, and Mrs. Weasley had joined their group.  
  
"What on earth is going on?!" Mrs. Weasley hissed, feeling saddened for some reason. No one could listen to those pitiful whimpers and not feel sad.  
  
"What is wrong?" Harry asked. The little pink kitten was laying on the floor, it's little mouth trembling and real tears flowing from its eyes. The two other kittens were almost hysterical with worry, nudging their friend and meowing to her. Ginny, however, picked up the kitten and rocked it gently.  
  
"What is wrong?" She asked, eyeing the other two kittens. They simply gazed at her accusingly, until she gasped.  
  
"Why would my book bother her, though?" Ginny asked, incredulous. Now, everyone was looking at Ginny as though she had lost it.  
  
"Ginny, darling are you all right?" Molly Weasley asked her daughter worriedly. Ginny sighed.  
  
"I'm not going crazy, mum. This is just another aspect of the kittens. Dumbledore told me that they were very special, and they can communicate with their owner through something like telepathy. I can understand them. They just told me that Sa.Cherry is sad because of something she overheard. But the only thing she could have possibly overheard was." Ginny stopped, and looked up at Harry, horror filling her pretty features.  
  
"You don't think that what you read.it couldn't have.could it?" She asked. Harry was now racking his brains for some sort of answer.  
  
"Clow Cards.Clow Reed.descendants." He mumbled outloud. At this word, the kitten's wails worsened, and the other two looked desperately up at Ginny.  
  
"You say to not talk about the Chinese royalty? But that boy, the prince." Ginny began but suddenly, the pink kitten shrieked, and bolted from her arms, running up the stairs and into Ginny's room. Violet followed it desperately, while Rose gazed into Ginny's eyes.  
  
"You want to know if we know any of the Li family? Yes, we have heard of them." Ginny said haltingly.  
  
"Do you know the Li family?" Ginny asked. The silver kitten bobbed it's head up and down in a nod.  
  
"But why does she get so upset when we mention them?" Harry asked. The kitten's gaze turned to him and it's brown eyes looked deeply into his.  
  
"She knows the family. They were her friends. Then *he* left and hurt her badly. Not physically, but her heart was hurt.but who is *he*, Rose?" Ginny persisted. The kitten yelped and then jumped up the stairs to join her friends. Everyone turned to Ginny, who had gone deathly pale.  
  
"Who was *he*, Ginny?" Ron asked hesitantly. Ginny looked at him, her eyes blank with shock.  
  
"Syaoran Li." Was all she had to say, to make the two older boys mouths drop open wide, and their eyes nearly pop out of their heads.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
'Sakura, you have to calm down! You are almost in hysterics!' Rika cried, while Tomoyo stroked her friend's back.  
  
'I can't! I tried but I can't! I love him so much, Rika. I need him!' Sakura sobbed. It was then that her friends realized that they hadn't done away with the pain, as they had thought, they had simply suppressed it, until it had become so strong, that one word about *his* family would send her into.this. Right now, what was left of Sakura's heart was being pulled into pieces at just the remembrance of Syaoran Li. In fact, if this didn't end soon, Sakura could end up doing a number of things that could both hurt and kill her. Suddenly, in terror, Tomoyo reached out with her mind desperately.  
  
'Help!' She shrieked though her mind, channeling it to go anywhere but her two friends ears. Suddenly, there was a little popping sound, and a letter appeared beside Sakura.  
  
'Sakura, look!' Rika shrilled, motioning to the paper. Sakura turned a tearful gaze at it, and then she jumped up, and ran over to it, moving to the top of the letter. She read it silently, while Tomoyo read it aloud, to make a point.  
  
  
  
//"To my Dearest Sakura,  
  
I write you one last time, my love, before I am forbidden to do so again. You have no idea how much I miss you, and I have only just stepped onto the plane. I can still see your wonderfully cheerful face everywhere I turn, and your smile is with me always. I have no way of erasing these things from my mind, and I will admit to you that I have no wish to do so. Seeing you again, even for the short time that I did, has made me realize just what my life is without you. No life at all.but a hell.  
  
Remember in the play, when we danced? I will always remember the way I felt when I had you there in my arms. Heaven couldn't have compared. And for that brief moment, you were mine! Nothing else mattered, and everything was right with the world. I will never forget that, and I hope that you don't either. It meant so much to me.you will never know just how much.  
  
I must close now, but in doing so, I will repeat that I love you with all of my heart and I hope that someday you will be able to return the love, my cherry blossom.  
  
Lovingly and forever yours,  
  
Li Syaoran  
  
P.S. Meiling wishes to add something, and I have promised her that I will not read it, so it will be just between you two.  
  
Sakura, I know the truth (Tomoyo told me), and I am sorry you weren't able to tell Syaoran before he left. I have tried to tell him for you, but he will hear it from no one but you. I know that someday, you two will meet again, and nothing will be able to stand between you, not even Touya, the big hair- ball!  
  
Anyway, I wish you the best of luck.and Sakura, do not let your sorrow overcome you. Syaoran will always be yours, no matter what. And I know that even though he has taken most of your heart away, you have taken *all* of his. I am not even sure if he has anything left in that dark hole for his family! I do hope to see you soon, and remember, above all else, keep HOPE!!!  
  
Lovingly, your friend,  
  
Li Meiling//  
  
  
  
'She knew what she was talking about, didn't she?' Sakura whispered, unaware that Ginny had entered the room. Sakura's throat tightened and happy tears filled her eyes.  
  
'I love him, and I know that he loves me. I may miss him, but I can't let that get in my way.' Sakura stated, rubbing her eyes with her paws and then smiling at her friends, her tears forgotten.  
  
"How long ago did he write that?" Came Ginny's soft voice. Tomoyo and Rika looked at her accusingly, but Sakura simply sighed.  
  
'How long have you been there?' She asked. Ginny sat down on the bed and looked at them.  
  
"Long enough. May I?" She asked, pointing at the letter, and the picking it up when Sakura nodded. Ginny read the letter over, slowly, and then looked up, her eyes filled with shock and wonder.  
  
"When did he write this?!" She gasped. Sakura smiled a bit.  
  
'About five years ago. When we were eleven.' She answered.  
  
"Eleven?! You fell in love when you were eleven?!" Ginny cried hoarsely. Sakura nodded again.  
  
'It is like that when you meet your soul-mate.Kind of like you! Hmmm, I wonder.' Sakura said teasingly, making Ginny blush.  
  
"You mean."  
  
'.with Harry!' The three kitten/girls chimed, laughingly. Ginny blushed harder.  
  
"If you don't want to explain it all tonight, I have all of tomorrow." Ginny suggested, as she stifled a yawn. All the girls agreed, and curled up on Ginny's pillow. Sakura still had Syaoran's letter clutched to her heart as she fell into a calm, peaceful sleep.  
  
'Thank you Dumbledore.' Tomoyo said silently, as she watched her best friend fall asleep. Tomoyo had a feeling that Dumbledore was watching them now, and smiling.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
'Thank you Dumbledore.'  
  
Thousands of miles away, a young man with messy chestnut colored hair and emotion less amber eyes, awoke with a start. He had just had the strangest dream that Sakura, Tomoyo, and Rika had been turned into cats, and they had read his letter that he had sent Sakura just before he left Japan.  
  
With a sigh, Syaoran Li got out of bed and walked over to his bedroom window, gazing out thoughtfully. It had been five years. Five long, horrific, torturous years since he had seen his beloved Cherry Blossom last. Her image was still imprinted in his mind, and he had never been able to get it out. Syaoran turned to look at his clock, and noticed that it was five 'o' clock in the morning, a perfect time to start his training.  
  
Ever since he had returned home five years ago, his attitude had changed. Not only had he lost all compassion for his friends and family, but he had also lost his will to live. Every day, the only thing he had to lean on was the hope that he would someday see her. That, and the cds that he had of the 'Mortal Angels' songs. When he had learned that Sakura, Tomoyo and Rika had formed a singing group, he immediately went out and bought every cd of theirs that he could find. But the only songs that he really listened to, were the ones where Sakura sang as the lead singer.  
  
Even with the cds, Syaoran remained heartless when around his family and the elders. Even Meiling could no longer reach him. Despite all this, the elders still refused to allow Syaoran to return to Japan. There was only one place that Syaoran was allowed to go during the school year; England. And he was only allowed there because that was where he and Meiling attended school, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
  
Now, at this school, Syaoran had a similar problem as Professor Snape did. He was rather misunderstood, and feared. You see, not only was he cold to all the other students, Syaoran was also the only student who had ever dared to stand up to Peeves, and actually come out of the confrontation without a scratch.  
  
  
  
*Flashback*  
  
It was the Start of school Feast during Syaoran's second year and all of the new first years had been sorted. Syaoran was seated away from the other students, like usual, while Meiling was chatting with some of her friends. They had decided at the beginning of the year, that they would not reveal that they were cousins, for obvious reasons.  
  
Just as the food appeared on the table, Peeves, the school poltergeist burst into the room and began to throw dung-bombs at the students. Shrieks and yells rose up into the air as students ducked under their tables, but one single boy did not make a sound. Instead, he simply continued to eat his supper. Irked that the boy had paid not attention to his attack, Peeves tossed a dung-bomb right into the plate of potatoes in front of the boy. Still, the boy did not flinch.  
  
"Oh, I see! The little second-year is trying to be brave! He thinks that he will get all the women if he doesn't shout out! He thinks."  
  
Syaoran, who had now become fed up with the annoying voice in front of him, calmly pulled out his wand and muttered something. With a cry, Peeves was shoved backwards and slammed into the wall. Then, out of nowhere, a ball of fire lit Peeves's clothes on fire. Right after this, an immensely strong blast of water hit the poltergeist and tossed him out of the room. Then, Syaoran calmly put away his wand and went back to eating, as though nothing had happened. Meiling began to giggle, and winked at her cousin. Soon, all the students came out of their hiding places, and returned to eating, all the while casting fearful glances at the amber eyed boy, who paid no attention.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
  
  
Syaoran sighed again and then quickly dressed into his training robes. He placed his sword over his back, and then looked out the window again, trying to erase Sakura's image from his mind. But it was no use. She would always be there, smiling her sweet smile and twinkling her eyes at him.  
  
"She probably doesn't even remember." Syaoran muttered bitterly, flinging his door open and walking down to the training grounds.  
  
'Three more months. Three more months until school.' His mind kept chanting as he began to practice.  
  
'Three more months.'  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	5. won't know what hit him

Daphne: "Here is the fifth chapter! Now, I want to clear up some things for my reviewer, Aleris. Sakura had all of the things that reminded her of Syaoran, packed in her suitcase. Since she left it at Hogwarts while she went to the 'Burrow', Dumbledore had it in his possession. Being Dumbledore, he knew that the letter was what Sakura needed to calm down, so he sent it to her, although he did not really know of it's value to her. Now, to clear up another thing, Dumbledore has no idea that Sakura is the Cards Mistress, or that she even has that sort of magic. He *does* know something else, though, but that is in a later chapter.  
  
Other than this, I think that this is all I have to say, besides enjoy!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hogwarts-Sakura style  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 5.  
  
  
  
'Ginny! Why don't we go down to Diagon Alley and get a present for Harry today?' Rika suggested, jumping up into Ginny's lap three weeks after they had come. The party was tonight, and they still hadn't had time to go shopping for his present. Ginny looked thoughtful.  
  
"All right. Just let me tell mum where we are going. And we need to be back soon. Percy, Penelope, Hermione, Charlie, Bill and Fleur are coming over tonight, and I have to be here to see them." She said, hurrying out of her room to tell her mother. Harry had no idea that they were planning him a party, and he seemed even more oblivious to the fact that it was even his Birthday! He had been so eager to be there, that he had forgotten what day it was completely; fortunately, the others had not.  
  
Five minutes later, they were strolling down the street, headed towards the shops. One human girl, and three kittens; quite a funny sight for passersby. Mrs. Weasley had given Ginny a whole gold galleon to buy Harry's present, and she was determined to get him something special.  
  
'Why don't we look in the second-hand shops?' Tomoyo suggested. 'They always have some really interesting things there.' She pointed out. Ginny looked skeptical, but went into a second-hand shop anyway.  
  
While they were staying with her, the three kitten/girls had revealed some things about Harry Potter that they knew. At least, that Sakura knew! They had told her about his father being part of the Marauders, a band of four friends who tended to play pranks on the other students. The only thing that Sakura had left out was just who the other three Marauders were. They had also told Ginny about Harry's father being on the Quidditch team, and being Severus Snape's enemy. Ginny had not been surprised by this.  
  
'Oh, look at this!' Rika crowed, pointing her paw at a funny little necklace that had real flowers growing out of it. Then Sakura showed them a book she had found, that kept yelling insults at them, rather loudly. Tomoyo saw an old-fashioned camera and immediately went to investigate.  
  
"I don't really see anything Harry would like." Ginny said sadly. Sakura flicked her tail and smiled.  
  
'Look harder. There is something on that hook, that he would like very much.' She said, pointing her paw at a metal hook stuck into the wall. On it, hung three necklaces, each boasting a rather large rock at the end. Ginny gasped and moved closer, picking one off the hook. On the rock, there was a stag carved quite deeply into the stone. Underneath it read the word 'Prongs'. Ginny gaped and turned it over, only to find another word, 'Marauder'.  
  
"Oh my gosh! These.must have belonged to Harry's father and his friends! What are the others? 'Moony', and 'Padfoot'. Oh, how funny! And they all have the word, 'Marauder' on the back! They must have made these themselves!" Ginny breathed, looking over each stone carefully. They were all just normal, gray stones, but the carvings made them special. Without one moment of hesitation, Ginny walked up to the cashier and bought them.  
  
'Well, were done. Can we go home now?' Sakura asked, causing the others to laugh, but agree with her. They went back to the Leaky Cauldron, and then used Floo Powder to get home.  
  
"Mum, were back!" Ginny called. A head appeared around the corner of the kitchen, and smirked at Ginny.  
  
"I'm not your mother, but I hope that I will do." A girl with shiny brown hair and sparkling brown eyes answered, coming all the way into the room. Ginny gave a shriek and launched herself at the girl.  
  
"Hermione! You're here! And you look great! Has Ron seen you yet?" Ginny asked, looking her friend over.  
  
"No! The boys are at the 'Quidditch Pitch' right now, and Molly doesn't think that they will be home until dinner." Hermione said, her eyes sparkling. Ginny giggled and then they ran up the stairs, the kittens on their heals.  
  
"Come and see what I got!" Ginny crowed, as Hermione shut her door. Hermione was staying the whole rest of the summer, and she was sharing a room with Ginny. As the two girls settled down on the bed, the three kittens jumped up and joined them.  
  
"Oh, how cute! I didn't know that you had kittens, Ginny!" Hermione squealed as she picked up the kitten with pink fur.  
  
"They were a present from Dumbledore." Ginny said simply.  
  
'Yah, some present!' Rika joked, causing Ginny to laugh.  
  
"What is so funny?" Hermione asked. Ginny then sat down and explained about the kitten's telepathy to her. When Ginny was through, Hermione demanded a sample, and Ginny began to translate for the kittens. After a good laugh, Hermione got up and began to dig through her trunk.  
  
"I have the most adorable outfit for you to wear tonight." Hermione said, still sifting through her trunk. Finally, she pulled out a creamy lavender dress with spaghetti straps. The skirt was floaty and the dress had a cover- layer of lavender gauze. The bodice was slim, and the neckline was a low V.  
  
"Oh, 'Mione! It is lovely!" Ginny breathed, fingering the dress. Hermione simply laughed and told her to put it on. When Ginny had finished, Hermione had braided two small sections of Ginny's hair, and then pulled them back into a pony-tail, leaving the rest to hang down her back. They finished the affect with a pair of lavender pumps, that Ginny quickly slipped onto her feet and then thanked Hermione. Waving her hand, Hermione reached back into the trunk and pulled out a two-piece dress. It had a light blue tank top and a flowery skirt similar to Ginny's. After she had put it on, though, both Ginny and the kitten/girls noticed that it showed a bit of her stomach, just enough to be enticing; for Ron. Then she quickly swept her hair into braids and twined them around her head like a crown, leaving a few stray strands to dangle down around her face and neck.  
  
"Boy, you have this 'seduce Ron' thing down to the last detail, don't you?" Ginny teased, nodding at the revealed stomach. Hermione simply nodded, and grinned.  
  
"He won't know what hit him!" She laughed. Then the two girls and the kittens hurried down to help Molly cook supper.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"That was a good practice, except for one thing.we didn't even touch our brooms!" Harry exclaimed, as he, Ron, and the twins walked back to the house. They were all dressed rather nicely, after Harry had been told that they were going to have a few 'guests'. Ron and the twins simply smirked and kept walking. The boys were all dressed in short-sleeved polo shirts and tan slacks. Fred was wearing a white polo shirt, and George was wearing a light blue one. Harry's shirt was green, which went rather well with his eyes, and also happened to show his muscles better than the baggy ones he usually wore. Ron was in a dark blue shirt, which accented his blue eyes beautifully, and also revealed beautifully toned muscles.  
  
"I worked all school-year to get these, and I even managed to keep them a secret from Hermione!" He had boasted that morning. Ron had revealed to Harry, his plan to seduce Hermione over the summer. Harry thought it was rather funny, but had avoided saying anything to offend his friend.  
  
"Come on, lets see what mum has cooked up for us tonight." Fred crowed, pushing open the back door and walking inside, with the other boys on his heals. When they were in, Harry was surprised to see that it was rather dark, and all the lights had been shut off.  
  
"Hello?" Ron called. Suddenly, all the lights were switched on, and Harry was shocked to see a room-full of people, standing in front of him.  
  
"Happy Birthday, Harry!" They all shouted. Harry's face lit up in shock and delight and he began to laugh.  
  
"I forgot that it was my birthday!" He chuckled, as people began to shout out congratulations. Harry knew everyone who was at the party well. There was Charlie, Ron's oldest brother, and then Bill with his wife Fleur, and then Percy with his wife Penelope. Harry spotted a very beautiful Hermione, and beside her stood.Remus Lupin! Harry rushed to greet his old teacher, who was also a Werewolf. As he looked over the man's shoulder, he saw that Ron had stopped short at the sight of Hermione, and was now looking quite pale, his mouth hanging open. Ginny and Hermione were laughing, and then Hermione hugged the red haired boy, making him hug back weakly, and then tell her how great she looked. She too, seemed quite awed by Ron's muscular appearance, and that little smirk of hers showed Harry that she did not mind it at all! As he gazed around the room, he spotted another member of the party, sitting in the corner. It was a large dog.  
  
"Sirius!" Harry breathed, hugging the dog and grinning at it, as it nosed his chest. Harry looked over to see Mr. and Mrs. Weasley smiling at the scene, and nodding. He knew then that they had invited his on-the-run godfather to his Birthday party, and he was grateful.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Ugh! I'm stuffed!" Bill said, patting his stomach. The whole party had been moved outside, so there would be enough room for all of them. They had all just finished supper, and Harry sat back with a contented sigh. On Harry's left side, sat Sirius, and on his right.Ginny. All though supper, she had tried to avoid looking at him, for fear she would be caught staring. Harry had gone through almost the same thing with her, although neither were aware of the other's discomfort. Just for fun, Harry had insisted that Ginny's three kittens have their own seats and plates to eat from. This had amused everyone, until they all saw just how much the kittens ate.  
  
"Time for presents!" Molly crowed, as she levitated a table piled high with presents, in front of Harry. Harry gaped at the huge pile, and then carefully began to pull some of them out. Soon, everyone was entertained by Harry who, as he opened each present, made funny or very exaggerated faces at the packages. Books, little trinkets, filibuster fireworks, pictures, boom polish, and an owl-care kit, were only some of the many presents that Harry received. Finally, he came to the last one, a smallish package, but rather heavy.  
  
"I wonder what this could be!" He joked, slowly opening the wrapping. Inside, there was a large bundle of tissue paper, and a note. Harry picked up the note and read it aloud.  
  
"Dear Harry,  
  
I found these, and I believe that they should be returned to you. He was your father, after all.  
  
Love,  
  
Ginny Weasley."  
  
Harry looked quite confused by the note, as was everyone else, but he opened the package nonetheless. What he saw inside made him catch his breath and look at Ginny in shock.  
  
"How did you know."  
  
"Let's just say, a little kitten told me." She answered, her eyes sparkling. Harry glanced at the three innocent-looking kittens and smiled slightly. Then he reached out and picked up his present, so the others could see. Ron gave an excited shout, and Hermione gasped. Remus stood up in wonder, and the dog beside Harry gave a sharp bark. In Harry's hand lay three necklaces, with stones hanging from them. On each stone, there was the carving of an animal, and then a name below that. On the back of the rocks, was the word 'Marauder'. Harry stared at the rock with his father's symbol on it, and then he looked up at Ginny, his eyes boring into hers.  
  
"I don't know how to thank you, Ginny. You don't know how much these mean to me." He stated, and then shocked them all by pulling her into a quick hug. Ginny's face turned red and she mumbled something that sounded like, "You're welcome."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Well, that was an interesting evening." Mr. Weasley commented, as he dropped down onto one of the couches. Everyone but Hermione, Remus, and the dog, whom Harry called, Snuffles, had left. Even the twins, had decided to spend the night a Bill's, and had apperated back to his house with him.  
  
"It is about to get a whole lot more interesting, because since you know my secret, I think that it is only fair that Ginny finds out too." Harry said. Ginny looked at him in confusion, as Remus nodded to him, and the dog gave a bark.  
  
"Ginny, these necklaces that you gave me, belonged to my father and his friends. You see, because of one member of their group, they all became unregistered Animagi." Harry explained.  
  
"What?! Why?" Ginny gasped.  
  
"Because of me, Miss Weasley." Remus said. Since it had been announced to the whole school that Professor Lupin was indeed, a werewolf, Ginny had no questions about this.except.  
  
"So, you were one of Harry's father's friends." Ginny breathed. Remus smiled at her words, and nodded.  
  
"There is another in this room, that was a part of our group. In fact, you know the last two people." Remus pointed out. Ginny looked confused, and then looked down at the necklaces.  
  
"Well, since you are.Moony, and Harry's father was."  
  
"Prongs." Harry supplied.  
  
"Then the last one must be this Padfoot. But, didn't you say there were *two* more?" She asked. Remus nodded.  
  
"There is one necklace that is not here, and that is Wormtail's, also known as Peter Pettigrew." He added. At this, Ginny gasped, and looked over at her parents, who were looking pale, but un-surprised.  
  
"But I thought that Harry said that Peter was the bad one." She began.  
  
"He is. But he wasn't then. We were all fooled. We thought he was our friend, when we put him in charge of Lily and James's affairs." Remus said. Ginny sat back and absentmindedly petted Cherry, looking thoughtful.  
  
"You said that I knew the last one. He was called Padfoot." She trailed off.  
  
'Ginny, think. Peter was really guilty for what happened, but who was blamed?' Sakura pushed, her voice becoming soft. Ginny's eyes widened, and she looked at the dog.  
  
"You! You are Padfoot.and you are also Sirius Black!" She cried, standing up and pointing accusingly at the dog. All at once, the dog began to shift forms and before long, the infamous Sirius Black stood in front of her.  
  
"But how did you know?" He asked her, after Harry had hugged him again. Ginny looked accusingly at Cherry.  
  
"How did you know?" She asked.  
  
'Oh, I knew the whole time. I knew everything. I didn't need them to tell me.' Sakura said off-handily. Ginny groaned and dropped back down onto the couch.  
  
"I will never fully understand you, Sa.Cherry." She informed the kitten. Now Remus and Sirius were looking at her strangely.  
  
"Wait.your kitten knew who we were? It knew the whole thing?" Sirius asked. Ginny shrugged.  
  
"I suppose so. Dumbledore gave them to me, so I have no idea where they get their knowledge from. They have even met the future Ruler of China, and his family." Ginny added. After that horrible night, Sakura, Tomoyo, and Rika had told Ginny everything about their relationship with the royals.excluding the Clow Cards. In fact, Ginny knew most of their secrets, except the few that they had been forbidden to tell. Sakura didn't even know if Dumbledore knew that she had the cards.  
  
"Dumbledore gave them to you? Then I am not surprised!" Remus laughed, reaching down and petting Violet. Rose jumped up on Sirius's lap and looked up at him cutely, cocking her head to the side and giving a little mew. He chuckled and pet her.  
  
"But besides being friends of James Potter, how else are you connected with Harry?" Ginny asked. Ron and Harry grinned at each other.  
  
"Sirius is Harry's Godfather." Ron said simply, causing Ginny to roll her eyes.  
  
"Why am I not surprised?!" She laughed. After that, they talked for quite awhile on other subjects, and then Remus and Sirius decided to go home.  
  
"Don't forget, Harry. I will be at Hogwarts all through the school year, and you know where to find me." His Godfather reminded, hugging the dark- haired boy one last time, before turning back into a dog.  
  
"Bye, Sirius!" Ginny chirped, affectionately hugging the dog around the neck. As soon as she had gotten over the initial shock of meeting *the* Sirius Black, Ginny had become quite good friends with the man. She also hugged Remus and reminded him that a full moon was coming soon.  
  
"I have Severus Snape working on it right now." Remus assured her, earning himself a yelp from the silver kitten. He petted it, and then he disapperated out of the house.  
  
"That was most certainly one of the most interesting nights of my life." Ginny sighed, after watching Sirius trot out of sight into the darkness. She shut the front door and turned around, only to find that she was alone in the room.  
  
"They all went to bed." Came a voice. Ginny jumped as she recognized it. Harry stepped out of the shadows of the stairwell, and sat down on the couch. Ginny shifted uncomfortably as Harry's searching eyes met hers.  
  
"Dumbledore didn't really give those kittens to you as pets, did he?" Harry asked, his eyes boring into hers. Ginny felt panic rise into her chest.  
  
"Yes, he did. Just.not forever."  
  
"How long do you get to keep them?" Harry pushed.  
  
"Two months, until I return to school." She answered, not daring to sit down. Harry stood and walked over to her, his eyes never leaving hers. He stopped only a few feet from her, and then took her elbow.  
  
"You're lying, Ginny. School is in just less than three months." He said, his eyes still boring into hers unheedingly. Ginny shivered.  
  
"I am going to the school early. Professor Dumbledore asked me to."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Now, Ginny knew that she was trapped in a corner. She didn't want to lie again, but she wasn't allowed to tell anyone! How could she explain her early Hogwarts arrival?  
  
'Oh, for goodness sake, just tell him.' Ginny looked over and saw Rika sitting at the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"Are you sure?" She asked. Rika nodded and then bounded back up the stairs. Ginny sighed, and then met Harry's hypnotizing gaze.  
  
"You have to promise not to tell anyone. Not anyone! Only daddy knows, and he is even keeping it from mum. He has to." Ginny warned. Harry frowned.  
  
"Why?" He asked.  
  
"Because they are not really kittens, Harry. They are humans, just like us." She said softly. Harry's eyes widened, but that was all the shock that he showed.  
  
"They are hiding here, until school starts, so no one will mob them, or bother them. You of all people should know why they feel that way." Ginny pointed out. Harry smirked and nodded.  
  
"Those three kittens that we all know and love, are also the very same 'Mortal Angels'." Ginny said slowly. Harry's eyes widened again, this time, even wider, and he choked on a gasp.  
  
"So, we are harboring three world-famous girls, right here in 'The Burrow'?! Ginny, they are international stars! They are even known in the muggle world!" He rasped. Ginny nodded.  
  
"That is why they are here. To keep them safe from.overzealous fans and other things. Please understand, Harry, why it is so important that we keep this quiet." Ginny whispered. Harry nodded slowly, and she grinned.  
  
"So.would you like to meet them? They are waiting in my room, just in case." She said. At this, Harry smiled and allowed her to lead him up the stairs. He had never been inside Ginny's room, so he was kind of curious. As they entered, they noticed that Hermione's bed was empty, with a note telling Ginny that she was upstairs 'talking' with Ron. The silver kitten was sitting on the note, grinning. Suddenly, Harry felt something push at his eardrums, and then he heard a voice.  
  
'I just made it so he could hear us. I am getting tired of you translating, no offense!' Came a soft, sweet little voice. Ginny looked over and smiled at the pink kitten.  
  
"Do you mind, Harry?" She asked. He shook his head, and looked around her room. It was painted a light green, and it had living vines climbing up the walls. It was a rather small room, but it seemed to suit her very nicely.  
  
'So.he finally finds out our secret, and he doesn't even mob us! I am liking this boy better and better!' Rika giggled, jumping off the paper. 'By the way, your friend came in here earlier, and left the note. When she left, your brother already had her in a lip-lock.' Rika announced.  
  
"Talking, huh? More like snogging." Harry said after reading the note, as he took a quill out of his pocket, scratched out the word 'talking', and replaced it with, 'snogging'.  
  
"I am going to deliver this. Excuse me a moment." He said, exiting the room. By now, the four girls were laughing hysterically.  
  
"Done!" He crowed in a whisper, as he rushed back into the room, chuckling. "So, why don't you introduce yourselves. I want to be able to tell who I am talking too." Harry said. The purple-blue kitten laughed.  
  
'Well, Ginny named us by our stage names, but in truth, my name is Tomoyo Daidouji.' She said. Harry gently took her paw and shook it, making her laugh.  
  
'I am Rika Sasaki.' The silver kitten said, and he did the same with her.  
  
'I am Sakura Kinomoto.' The pink kitten bounded into his lap, and looked up at him, its eyes wide.  
  
"Oh, great. Next, you will tell me that you read minds." Harry groaned. Sakura giggled.  
  
'I do, occasionally.' She said cheekily. Harry blushed, and she laughed even harder.  
  
'I didn't then, it was written all over your face!' She said, mentioning the incident from his first night at the Burrow. He shook his head and groaned, causing the other two to laugh as well.  
  
'Sakura is like that. She can just look at you and know what you are feeling. Unfortunately, that gift is a recent addition to the many that she has.' Tomoyo said. Harry frowned.  
  
"Unfortunately?" He asked.  
  
'When we were eleven, she was naïve enough not to know that one of her best friends had fallen madly in love with her, or that she had for him as well." Rika explained, and unless Harry was mistaken, a blush rose up in the pink kitten's cheeks.  
  
"Eleven?" Harry asked harshly, as the meaning of her words hit him. The two other kittens nodded, but said nothing else.  
  
"Brilliant. This summer is becoming one of the most confusing in my life." He mumbled, just as the bedroom door slammed open and a very ruffled looking Hermione came into the room. Her hair had fallen from it's braids, and was looking a bit messy, very unlike Hermione.  
  
"Ginny, you won't believe what Harry did.oh." She stopped as she caught sight of Harry sitting on her bed.  
  
"Oh, she will. She was with me when I wrote it." He chuckled. Hermione turned red.  
  
"We were not snogging! Ron was simply telling me about his summer thus far." Hermione sniffed. Harry, Ginny, and the kitten/girls giggled.  
  
'Tell her that that red mark on her neck is not very becoming.' Rika laughed, falling off the bed. Tomoyo and Sakura were leaning against each other for support, and Ginny had buried her head in her pillow, to stifle her giggles.  
  
"I am going to bed. By the way, Mione, that hickey on your neck is getting bigger." Harry said, running for the safety of Ron's room. Hermione looked simply horrified.  
  
"Well, Ron didn't know what hit him." Hermione finally said, smiling ruefully, and making Ginny burst into more giggles.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	6. Strange group of roommates

Daphne: "Well, here is the sixth chapter! I am so happy to finally get it up! Now, in this chapter, you will meet two of Sakura's old friends (guess who), and a few new ones as well. Plus, a seemingly evil character will turn out to be-well, you'll see! Oh, and Sakura, Tomoyo, Rika, and Ginny will arrive at Hogwarts!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hogwarts-Sakura Style  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 6.  
  
  
  
  
  
*Two months later*  
  
"You will promise to write every time you get the chance?" Molly asked, as she, Ginny, Ron, Harry, and Hermione waited outside the Hogwarts express.  
  
"Yes, mum." Ginny promised. Sakura, Tomoyo, and Rika were quietly talking with Harry, as he leaned down to pet them.  
  
'You promise to write?' Sakura begged. Harry smiled and nodded.  
  
'Yah! When we get back to the castle, and change out of these forms, we will be able to write, finally! I have been dying to write to mother and tell her how things are.' Tomoyo added, bounding onto the train without further ado.  
  
'Goodbye!' Rika and Sakura chimed, as they too, got onto the train. Harry grinned and waved. Ginny hugged her mother goodbye, and then Hermione. Ron pulled her into a bear-hug, and to everyone's surprise, Harry added his own small hug after Ron let go of her.  
  
"Write as soon as you get there! I want to know what they look like!" He whispered into her ear, causing little shivers to ripple down her spine. She nodded and got on the train, just before it pulled away from the station.  
  
'Wow, I have never had such a great time! It was almost as though we were part of the family!" Sakura said naively. Rika sweatdropped.  
  
'Um.Sakura? We were part of the family.' She pointed out. Sakura smiled.  
  
'I know, but not really. I mean, Harry was more of a part of it than we were.or at least, he will be.' Sakura added cheekily. Ginny looked confused.  
  
"What do you mean, 'will be'?" She asked.  
  
'Why, when you and Harry get married, of course!' Sakura giggled, causing Ginny to blush.  
  
"Will you stop that? He hardly even knows I exist! Besides, he is my brother's best friend." Ginny pouted. Sakura rolled her eyes but stayed silent, gazing out the window. A sadness filled her heart as she gazed at the passing scenery. Everything was a bright and healthy green. Green--  
  
'No matter where I am, Syao-kun, I will always love you.' She thought, as his face appeared in her mind's eye. With his image in her head, she fell into a nice, peaceful sleep.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Look! There it is!" Ginny crowed hours later, as their horse-less carriage came around a curve and Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry came into sight. Certainly, the girls had been inside the castle, but they had never realized just how immense it was.  
  
'Hoe!'  
  
'Wow!'  
  
'Um.are was supposed to memorize our way around this place?' Rika asked, as they pulled to a stop outside the door. Ginny laughed and shook her head.  
  
"It takes a while, but you will eventually know your way around--most places." She said, as they climbed up the great flight of stairs and watched as the front doors opened themselves.  
  
'We have to go to Dumbledore's office. Wait for us outside.' Tomoyo said to Ginny, as she, Sakura and Rika made their way to the Gargoyle and said the password. The kitten/girls, continued on up the stairs, and saw Professor Dumbledore waiting for them in front of his door. He smiled, and led them into his office.  
  
"Now, I believe that you would like your old bodies back, would you not?" He asked, taking out his wand and waving it at them. Immediately, they were back to their old selves, still wearing the outfits that they had worn when they first came.  
  
"Boy, is it good to be back!" Rika crowed, stretching. Dumbledore grinned, and then motioned to a stool, on which stood a faded old wizards hat.  
  
"This is the Sorting Hat, it will tell you what house you are to be in. Rika, you go first." Dumbledore instructed, picking up the hat and placing it on the girl's head. (a/n: I am too lazy to make up a song, so I am not going to have the hat sing, this time! Sorry!) After a moment, a tear opened up at the brim and it shouted,  
  
"Gryffindor!" Rika smiled with relief and stood up, as Tomoyo took her place. She too was sorted into Gryffindor. Now it was Sakura's turn. She slipped on the hat, and then a little voice entered her ear.  
  
"Ah! So, I finally meet you, Miss Kinomoto! Hmmm, very difficult. You have courage, and you stand up for your friends, you can be devious if you want to be.but you have a pure heart. You are kind to all, but naïve.Oh! And the Cards mistress I see! Even Dumbledore doesn't know this.now it is easy to see where I will put you. GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted, causing Sakura to giggle and jump off the stool. Dumbledore smiled at the happy girls.  
  
"Yes, yes, but now some bad news. Because of your special.circumstances, I have decided to move you to a special dorm, where you will be safer." Dumbledore said. At this, all the girls' faces fell.  
  
"But what about Ginny?" Sakura whimpered. Dumbledore looked thoughtful.  
  
"If you would like, she could join you there. She may like it a bit better if she were among friends--yes, I think that would work. I will show you to your rooms, now." At this, the professor led them out of the room, and down to where Ginny was waiting. The red haired girl's mouth dropped open when she saw her three friends in their normal forms, but this did not stop her from hugging them and telling them how great they looked. But now, their group now had a new addition. Behind Ginny stood a rather pale boy, with blonde hair. The very boy from Sakura's dream!  
  
"Ah, Mister Malfoy. Good to see you. Now, would you all please follow me." Dumbledore instructed, leading the group down the hall. Ginny moved as far away from Draco as possible, as she chatted with Rika.  
  
"This is the way we usually get to the Gryffindor common room! I wonder where." Ginny was saying, as Dumbledore stopped in front of a portrait. Sakura looked at it carelessly, and then gave a shriek. Not only was the portrait moving, but it also was a picture of.Clow Reed! As he caught sight of Sakura, he gave her a wink and then smiled.  
  
"The password is 'Star'. Boy's rooms on the left, girls rooms on the right. You are welcome to make this castle your playground until the other students come, but don't tell any of the other professors that I told you that!" With a chuckle, Dumbledore left.  
  
"Star." Tomoyo said, slightly blushing as Clow Reed winked at her as well. The portrait swung open, revealing a rather large room, full of plush white chairs and white walls. There were no pictures on the walls, and everything seemed bare and desolate.  
  
"Oh, good! Now we can have some fun!" Tomoyo giggled, running into the room and looking around. Sakura knew that idea's for remodeling the room were already swirling around her friend's head. Just then, Sakura remembered the blonde haired boy, and turned to him.  
  
"You must be Draco. Where is Rose?" She asked. The blonde boy looked at her, his eyes widening in shock. She smiled her innocent, sweet little smile, and he relaxed.  
  
"In the kitchens with Dobby and Winky. All three of them are going to be moved here, though." Draco said softly, looking a bit uncomfortable. Ginny looked at him in astonishment. This was not the Draco Malfoy she knew! Where was the loud voice, and 'hey, Weasel', and the other sharp comments? This must be some joke!  
  
"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" She snapped. Draco drew back a bit, his face neutral.  
  
"I think you should tell her, or she will never understand." Sakura said gently. He nodded and then motioned to the seats. Each girl took one, except for Ginny, who was looking confused.  
  
"You may want to sit down, Ginny. You aren't going to believe this." Sakura warned. Ginny did as she was told, and without hesitation, Draco launched into his tale, with Sakura adding in little parts that he had forgotten. When they were through, Ginny had gone as pale as a ghost, and Draco was looking at Sakura in bewilderment.  
  
"How did you know?" He asked. Rika and Tomoyo looked at each other.  
  
"You explain." Rika sighed, sitting back in her chair and grinning at Sakura, who was wrinkling her nose at her.  
  
"Sakura has prophetic dreams. She saw you, on the same night that you saved Rose. Then, she told us on the way here. Congratulations on being one of the first Slytherins to escape Voldemort." Tomoyo said. Draco smiled slightly.  
  
"One of the first?" Ginny breathed, getting over her initial shock, but still a bit unsteady.  
  
"Oh, Uncle Severus used to be a Death Eater, but now he is a spy for Dumbledore." Rika said. At her words, Ginny and Draco jumped.  
  
"Spy?!"  
  
"Uncle?" Ginny added. Rika grinned.  
  
"Professor Severus Snape is my half-guardian. He took care of me after my parents were killed by Voldemort. And yes, he is a spy." She answered.  
  
"Well I'll be." Draco mussed, smiling again. Suddenly, there came a shuffling at the door, and everyone turned to see a pale, mousy-haired boy standing next to--Professor Severus Snape.  
  
"Uncle Severus! How are you? Did you miss me?" Rika asked, all in one breath, as she hugged the man. He chuckled and hugged back.  
  
"Fine and yes. Draco, how are you taking this?" He asked. Draco smiled.  
  
"I think I could get used to it.but what is Longbottom doing here?" Draco asked, looking at the mousy-haired boy. Severus's face turned grim, and the boy shivered, his eyes becoming almost stony.  
  
"It has started. Voldemort went after him because he was *snort* 'weak', and he only just got away alive. It seems our Mr. Longbottom has a little more buck than we thought. He actually refused to join with Voldemort, despite having a wand stuck in his face." Snape said, sounding a bit proud.  
  
"Oh! Poor Neville! Are you all right?!" Ginny cried, rushing over to the boy and hugging him. He gave a nod.  
  
"I wouldn't join that.git, even if you paid me." He said, his voice surprisingly strong. Sakura clapped.  
  
"That's the spirit! Give him all you've got!" She cheered, causing the boy to blush madly at this beautiful girl.no, these four beautiful girls, cheering for him. Because there were now four absolutely gorgeous girls congratulating him and treating him like a hero. Draco Malfoy, too, was patting him on the back.  
  
"I am sorry for everything I have done, Neville. I had no idea that it was going to come to this." Draco murmured to him in an undertone. "I am sorry that you had to go through it.but hey! You now have beautiful girls admiring you!" Draco laughed. Neville chuckled.  
  
"I suppose it can't be all that bad, then." He mumbled.  
  
"Now, I have to go, but I want you to show Neville around." Snape instructed, sounding not at all like his usual self. In fact, he sounded as if he were a father talking to his children. As he left the room, Neville gaped at his back.  
  
"I suppose he is not as bad as he acts, as well. Blimey this place has too many secrets!" Neville announced, making the girls laugh.  
  
"Well, there are quite a few more. Did you know that the 'Mortal Angels' are attending Hogwarts this year?" Ginny asked.  
  
"You're kidding!"  
  
"No way!" Draco added. Ginny grinned and nodded.  
  
"Yes way!" Tomoyo joked.  
  
"No, she isn't kidding." Sakura said, smiling happily.  
  
"Ginny doesn't lie like that. Especially not in front of us." Rika added. The boys gaped, as reality hit them.  
  
"You.you are *them*?!" Draco choked, as the girls smiled sweetly at him.  
  
"Bloody knights! Wait until I tell Gram that the 'Mortal Angels' were actually fawning over me!" Neville squeaked, causing the girls to laugh.  
  
"Oh, Neville! We are normal people too, just a little more advertised--not that we wanted that--" Tomoyo said. Then her face lit up again. "Enough chit-chat! I want to get to work on these rooms! They are all white, if you haven't noticed, and I want to decorate them! Oh, and boys? I will decorate yours as well! Just tell me how you want them decorated, and I will do it!" Tomoyo crowed, as she dragged the girls up the right-hand staircase. Soon, they came to the first door. Above the door was a gold plaque, with the name 'Rika' inscribed on it. Rika smiled and went into her room. Next was Tomoyo's, then Sakura's, then Ginny's. All the girls found their belongings in their rooms, as well as their pets. By now, Rika's cat had had five healthy kittens. To the girls surprise, there was one kitten who had silver fur, one that had purply-blue fur, and a third that had pink fur. The last two were black and white dappled, one with white paws and the other with black paws. Rika had not named them yet, so the girls were planning on doing it that night.  
  
"OH MY GOSH!" Ginny screamed, making the others come running.  
  
"What is it?" Sakura cried.  
  
"What's wrong?" Neville added.  
  
"Look!" Ginny squealed, pointing at the cage that was sitting on her desk. Inside was a the baby owl, just the same as when they had left.  
  
"Oh, she is just a thank-you for housing us and keeping our secret. Enjoy her." Rika said, starting to leave the room, but Ginny grabbed her arm.  
  
"But how did you know.that I wanted this exact one?" She asked, her eyes filled with happy tears. Rika grinned.  
  
"We were sitting right across the way at the ice-cream shop. We heard everything, and so Sakura bought it for you." She explained, as she left the room.  
  
"Well, thank-you!" Ginny called after them, as the rest left, laughing.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"All right, time to explore. Lets find our way around this place." Draco suggested, as they met back in their common room.  
  
"Yah, and the restroom!" Neville added, making them all laugh.  
  
"Maybe that is it, there." Sakura pointed to a door at the far end of the common room. They opened the door and found themselves in a little hallway that had two doors in it, one on each side of the hall. On the left, the door said 'ladies' and on the right, the door read 'men'.  
  
"Bingo!" Tomoyo said, as they walked into the bathroom. Inside, it was quite glamorous, but also pure white.  
  
"I will be decorating in here, too." Tomoyo said excitedly. There was a lock on the door, which Sakura tried, and found to be usable. Then they explored the make-up room, which opened up off the main bathroom, where one whole wall was made of a large mirror. There was a long table in front of the mirror, which held numerous amounts of cover-up, blush, eye-liner, mascara, lipstick, and other things, free for the girls to use. Across from the make-up room was a row of doors which, when opened, revealed.toilets.  
  
"Well, at least we have plenty." Rika joked, as they opened five doors which held only these. Then next to the rooms, were several sinks with numerous taps that had strange labels. But no matter how hard they looked, the girls could not find the bathtub!  
  
"I wonder what this does." Sakura mussed, pushing down on a rather fancy- looking towel-holder that hung from the wall next to the bathroom door. All at once, the ground disappeared out from under Rika's feet, and she fell with a startled screech. The floor from which she had fallen now rearranged itself to reveal a monstrous tub, almost the size of a pool!  
  
"Wild! Hey, come and look at this!" Rika called up. The other three girls walked down about five feet, and then saw what Rika was pointing to. Dozens of taps lined the tub, all with their own shape and color.  
  
"Kawaii!" Tomoyo squealed, whipping her video-camera out of nowhere, and beginning to record. Soon, the girls hastened up to join Draco and Neville out in the common room.  
  
"What time is it?" Draco asked. Sakura looked around for a clock, and when she didn't see one, she took out her wand. She muttered something, and all at once, a clock appeared over the mantle of the fireplace. It was just like the one at the Weasley's and read, 'Not time for dinner'.  
  
"Good! Now I can begin the redecorating. Now.how do we want the common room?!" Tomoyo crowed.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"All done!" Tomoyo cried, putting her wand away an hour later. She had redecorated every room in their dorm, including the boys bathroom, when she had kept her eyes shut the whole time. The common room had been done in foresty themes, with real pine trees growing in the corners of the room, and sun-splotched ceiling and walls, so it gave the real appearance of being in a peaceful forest. At night, the forest would naturally darken, and the sun-splotches would be replaced by twinkling stars. Then, for the girls bathroom, Tomoyo had kept the white tiles, but painted the walls purple with blue trim. The ceilings remained white, but the tub's inside had been decorated with a design of bubbles. In the boys bathroom, she had painted the walls blue, with light green trim.  
  
Then it was onto the private bedrooms. First she had done Neville's room. He had decided on an undersea theme, complete with enchanted walls that had fish swimming across them ("No sharks, luckily!" Was Neville's comment). Next was Draco, who wanted a tropical forest, complete with swinging vines and a vine-hammock. Ginny came next. She had liked the idea of a royal bedroom, with gray stone walls and a canopied bed, with forest-green velvet coverings and blankets. Rika came after, and she had decided on a rather strange design. She wanted mood-change walls and blankets, that would change to fit her moods. Now it was Sakura's turn. She had settled on a bedroom that depicted everything floating on clouds. The walls were charmed to make it look as though the clouds were really moving, and fluffy, almost translucent clouds floated around the ceiling.  
  
"It will remind me of where mother is." Sakura had said. Finally, Tomoyo got to her own room. She had decided on a meadow theme, complete with a distant forest and a field of tall, waving flowers. When she was though, she was tired, but happy.  
  
"Dumbledore said that the school was our play-ground, right?" Sakura asked slowly, as the group walked down to the Great Hall. Everyone looked at her, knowing that she had something in mind.  
  
"What if we were to decorate, say.the whole of the Great Hall, just the way we liked it?" Sakura asked tilting her head cutely to the side. One-by-one, each of their faces lit up in sheer delight of the idea. It would be so different, so forbidden, so--perfect!  
  
"How will we do it?" Tomoyo asked, taking out her wand, and everyone else grinned at each other.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Well, this certainly is.different." Dumbledore commented the next morning, when they dragged him in to see their handiwork. At first, he had stood stark still, simply staring, but then his face had twisted into a smile, and then a grin.  
  
"Very imaginative. And I think I know a way for you to keep it throughout the school year. Whenever you have some free time, I or you, could change it, so this would appear, and you could play here for as long as you like." He said, looking around in interest.  
  
Indeed, the place that used to have been the Great Hall, was quite changed. It had now taken on the appearance of a lovely, mystical garden. The tables were still in the same places, but they were carefully made into a small maze of high hedges, covered in ivy and roses. At the far end of the Hall, and of to one side, stood a great, tall Japanese Cherry tree, in full bloom. There was a big swing strung from one of the more sturdier branches, and it swung back and forth slowly, as though pushed by an invisible wind. Throughout the hall, were smaller cherry trees, and also some blossoming Plum trees. Peonies were dappled here and there around the garden, as were lavender, daphne, violets, lilies, and many other flowers. The walls of the hall had been made to look like a brick wall, covered in more ivy and roses. Then, above the wall, it was charmed to look like a sunny day. Tall trees shadowed the garden, but watery sunlight sifted through the leaves of the trees in a misty way, making the garden seem most angelic. Soft, green grass covered the floor, finishing off the picture.  
  
"I would like to come here every day." Draco commented slowly, as he gazed around in wonder. With a giggle, Sakura raced over to the swing and sat down, starting to swing. There was a melodious chirp, and Goldenrod came sweeping into the room, landing on a branch near Sakura.  
  
"This is our haven." She whispered to the phoenix, as she stroked Goldenrod's back. Suddenly, there came a low chuckle from behind the tree.  
  
"Your haven for what, Sakura dear?" Sakura gave a small shriek and turned to see Eriol smirking down at her from an upper branch.  
  
"Eriol-kun!" She cried, standing up and flashing her brilliant smile at him. He leaped down off the branch, and allowed her to hug him.  
  
"My goodness, Sakura! You have grown from the little klutz I knew, into a lovely young lady, all in a few years!" He laughed jokingly, as she punched his arm gently. Then he turned to look at the others, who were looking astonished, and in Draco's case, suspicious.  
  
It was indeed Eriol Hiiragizawa. The boy had grown quite tall, and more muscular, but his blue eyes still sparkled with the same hints of humor, slyness, mystery, and even a little bit of evil. Not the bad kind of evil, but the kind that makes you laugh. Eriol's black-blue hair had grown longer, but it was in the same style, so that some of his hair still fell over his eyes.  
  
"Ah, Daidouji-san! You are looking even more lovely than the last time I saw you." He flirted, taking her hand and placing a kiss on her fingers. Tomoyo's sweet smile broke through her shock, and she laughed.  
  
"Still the charmer, I see." She teased. He grinned at her, and then turned to Rika.  
  
"So.you have finally made it to Hogwarts! How have you been, Rika?" He asked. Rika smiled her lovely smile.  
  
"I have been fine. But Eriol.what are you doing here?" She asked. His grin widened.  
  
"Why, I attend here. I just came earlier, because I heard that you were coming, and I wanted to be here to greet you. You are some of my oldest friends, you know." He commented, his eyes falling on the two other boys and staying there.  
  
"It is good to see you as well. May I congratulate you on escaping the grasp of Lord Voldemort." Eriol said, in a deeper voice. The two other boys looked astonished.  
  
"How did you know about that?!" Neville choked. Eriol simply smirked.  
  
"He has his ways, just like I have mine." Sakura said, stepping in for the black haired boy. Still, the boys seemed unconvinced, but they stayed silent. Another person, however, did not.  
  
"Sakura-chan!" A large blur of red darted out and threw itself into Sakura's arms, causing Sakura to choke from lack of air.  
  
"Nakuru! What a surprise! What are you doing here?" Sakura asked.  
  
"I am Professor Dumbledore's personal assistant. He hired me last month. I like working for him." Nakuru chirped, and then spotted Tomoyo and Rika.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan! Rika-chan! I missed you so much! How are you? My how you've grown!" Nakuru cried, all in one breath, causing Tomoyo and Rika to laugh.  
  
"Sakura, where is Kero? Suppi wants to play video games with him. Eriol even set up a TV in his room so they could play. We are staying in the same place as you.oh yeah! And I want Tomoyo-chan to decorate my room! It is too white." Nakuru said, causing them all to burst into uncontrollable laughter.  
  
"All right, Nakuru, I will decorate your room, and Eriol's too, if he would like." Tomoyo said, as Eriol nodded at her.  
  
"Kero is up in my room, taking a cat-nap. You have my permission to wake him up." Sakura said, her eyes twinkling at the thought of Nakuru waking Kero up. Nakuru gave a squeal and ran out of the room. Despite her twenty- three years of age, Nakuru still acted like a five year-old at times.  
  
"She was.nice." Neville said hesitantly, slightly overwhelmed by the bouncy older girl. Dumbledore laughed.  
  
"That is part of the reason that I hired her. She is so cheerful and full of life. She keeps me young, and that is a good thing, considering all that is happening now." Dumbledore said. "Now, I think that it is about time that we ate. Shall we?" Dumbledore waved his wand, and the Great Hall reappeared abruptly. Plates had appeared on the teachers table, and Dumbledore motioned for them all to be seated. The group was soon joined by Severus Snape, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black. Having been told about all the happenings at the Burrow, Draco and Neville were not surprised when the great black dog trotted into the room and then immediately turned into a human.  
  
".So then, Yamazaki starts to come up with another of his enormous lies, and then Chiharu hits him over the head with her mallet. Of course, after that, they had a make-out session, right in front of us, and Tomoyo taped it all!" Rika was saying to Eriol, who had been eager to hear about his old partner in crime, Yamazaki Takashi.  
  
"Right, and then Sakura just had to break out laughing, and they stopped. It was a real bummer, because they were getting to a good part!" Tomoyo added.  
  
"Really, Ms. Tomoyo! You were able to stay silent the whole time? Without even a 'kawaii'?! Shocking!" Eriol teased, causing Tomoyo to blush. She was about to retort, when the Great Hall's doors opened and a woman strolled into the room. She was quite lovely, with bright blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes, and full, rosy lips. She had a slim, curvy figure, which was accented by the forest-green robes she was wearing, that seemed to have been created just for her.  
  
"Ah, Arabella! How nice of you to join us." Dumbledore stated, as the woman took a seat beside him. She smiled prettily, and then glanced at the students.  
  
"Oh, I didn't know that school was starting early." She said, her voice soft and warm as a summer's breeze. Immediately, everyone felt at ease with her.  
  
"For them, it is. Arabella, these are Draco Malfoy, Neville Longbottom, Virginia Weasley, Sakura Kinomoto, Rika Sasaki, and Tomoyo Daidouji. Children, this is Professor Arabella Figg, your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Dumbledore explained. At their names, Arabella jumped.  
  
"So it has started. This is really going to happen." She murmured. However much her words confused the students, it did not confuse the older people.  
  
"Yes it has, Bella. You knew that there was no way to avoid it." Sirius said, his voice sympathetic and soothing. She nodded sadly and looked down at her plate.  
  
"If only we had understood. If only they had told us that Peter was." She stopped, and looked at the seven confused students. Then she laughed softly.  
  
"Don't worry. Eventually, you will know what I am talking about." She said softly, beginning to eat. Sakura gazed at her for a moment, and then frowned. She looked at Eriol, who nodded.  
  
"You speak as though you have met us before. But.I don't remember meeting you." Sakura said timidly. Arabella laughed.  
  
"You wouldn't, because you haven't met me before now. I am just being foolish. Ignore me." She said, waving her graceful hand at them.  
  
"Anyway, how is Harry doing? I haven't seen him since.oh, his third year, was it?" She went on. Remus nodded.  
  
"He is thriving. He has become known as the school's heartbreaker, though, with his looks, that is not a surprise. He spent the summer with the Weasley's." Remus said. Sakura giggled.  
  
"He *is* rather handsome, and very nice. But Ar.Professor Figg, how do you know him?" She asked, frowning a bit. Arabella looked startled.  
  
"Oh, please call me Bella. Everyone does. And I know him because I used to care for him when his aunt and uncle went out for the day. I am afraid he didn't like me much.but, how do *you* know him?" Bella asked. Tomoyo, Rika, and Sakura grinned.  
  
"Over the summer, we were disguised as kittens and then put in the care of the Weasley's. Even though no one but Ginny and Mr. Weasley were supposed to know, Harry, being as intuitive as he is, figured it out and we became quite good friends. He actually told us about a Mrs. Figg that used to take care of him, but according to Harry, she was quite old, and boring, and had dozens of cats." Tomoyo said. At this, Bella giggled.  
  
"Oh, that was just an aging spell that I used when he came over, so he wouldn't recognize me from pictures of his parents and their friends. And the cats.all but three of them were just a multiplying charm that I used. You see, I had to be the complete opposite of my real self, so Harry would not suspect that I was a witch. I wasn't allowed to reveal that to him, because I was a sort-of guardian to him. I watched over him for Dumbledore, so when the time came, Harry would be able to come to Hogwarts. It was actually quite an amusing job, considering that I am a full-blooded witch, and I have been living in the muggle world since I was twenty!" Bella said.  
  
"Wait! You knew Harry's parents? Just like Sirius and Remus?" Ginny questioned. Bella nodded.  
  
"His mother, Lily, was my best friend. She was Lily Evens, back then, and we were the arch rivals of the Marauders. We absolutely hated them, and they us. But in our final year, something just snapped, and we all became friends. In fact, we were the first, besides the Professors and the Marauders to know what Remus was. Lily figured it out in our second year, and then told me and our other friend, Sophia Heath." Bella said, sneaking a sly look at Remus, who had gone quite red at the last name she had mentioned.  
  
"Oh! And I suppose that Remus and Sophia were an item?" Rika asked. Bella laughed and nodded.  
  
"Yes. In fact." She was about to add more, but Remus clapped his had over her mouth. This caused Eriol to smirk, and the others to giggle softly. Sirius was grinning slyly at his friend.  
  
"Well, whatever happened between you and Sirius, Bella?" Remus retorted as he pried Bella's hand off his mouth. His question made both people go bright red. Now the students laughed outright.  
  
"You three are acting like twelve year-olds!" Neville snorted, causing the three guilty to blush even more. Sakura grinned and met Eriol's eyes. This was going to be one interesting year, there was no doubt about that!  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	7. Depression endedor is it?

Daphne: "Well, this is the chapter that you have all been waiting for! Two people that Sakura knows very well will come into the picture (don't get your hopes up, they may not be who you think...), and the other students will arrive at the school! I hope that you like it, and if you do, review and tell me!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hogwarts-Sakura Style  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 7.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"The other students are coming tonight, aren't they?" Tomoyo asked a month later, as she looked up from her schoolbook. She and her dorm-mates were sitting in the common room, either reading books or playing chess, in the boys case. It was surprising to see how quickly Neville and Draco had become friends after all had been explained. Eriol had decided that he would join his class mates in the Great Hall, while the others chose to eat one last time in the dorm. A sudden wail made Rika look up from her book.  
  
"Rose is awake!" She announced, jumping up and going to retrieve the baby. When the girls had first heard of the baby's name, they had laughed at the fact that Rika's stage name was the same as Rose's.  
  
"We is getting Rosie's bottle ready." Winky squealed, as she ran by them, with Dobby on her heals. The two house elves and Rose had moved in a few days before, and had taken their bedrooms in a special addition to the common room, that Dumbledore had created just for them.  
  
"How is she?" Sakura asked, as Rika came back into the room, the baby in her arms. Draco looked up anxiously, as Rika carried the baby over to him.  
  
"She is just fine, aren't you, Rose?" Rika cooed, placing the baby in Draco's arms. Rose's little fists swung at him, and grasped some of his hair, causing everyone to laugh. Ever since she had arrived, Rose had never ceased to give them a show, that is, while she was awake. Winky came back with the bottle, and Draco carefully fed it to Rose, while still keeping a close eye on the chess board. All of the girls went back to their books, except for Sakura, who was left gazing out the window into the dusk. The sun was setting soon, and Sakura wanted to watch it.  
  
"I am going out for a walk." She announced, getting up and walking over to the portrait hole. Tomoyo stood up, intent on going with her, but Rika put out a hand, stopping her.  
  
"She wants to be alone." Rika whispered. Tomoyo sighed, and nodded in understanding.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
".And in closing, I would like to address the rumor of the 'Mortal Angels' attending Hogwarts. The truth is, that they *are* attending Hogwarts, and they are in fact, here right now." Dumbledore's words, several shrieks of happiness rang out, and many 'YES!'s'. "They have chosen not to join us tonight, but they assure me that they will be here for supper tomorrow."  
  
More cheering and whispering. Only one person had not outwardly reacted to this news. Syaoran Li. He sat at his lonely corner of the table, numb with shock. Sakura was here! Right now, in this very school! Would she remember him? Would she still like him, after what he had written to her? Could he bare it if she were to refuse him?  
  
As these thoughts raged though his head, Syaoran let out a growl of annoyance, got up, and stomped out of the room. All at once, the Great Hall fell silent, everyone watching as the boy left. That was the affect Syaoran had on people. As he went by, it was as if an icy wind had crept into the hall and twined around you. His cold, soul-less eyes made everyone shiver, but his looks made almost every girl swoon.  
  
Still, all this Syaoran cared nothing about. The only thing he cared about was the fact that his cherry blossom was in the school at this very moment. With his head filled with thoughts, Syaoran made his way outside, and onto the grounds. He walked aimlessly, thinking about her. One other bit of information that Syaoran was thinking about, was the fact that Dumbledore had told him and Meiling when they had arrived, that they were being moved to new rooms in a more secure area of the castle, for safety reasons. Syaoran had not questioned his motives at the time, but now he did. Hadn't they been in just the same amount of trouble, before they were moved?  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
As the sorting finished up, Harry looked around eagerly for any sign of Ginny or the three singing diva's. He couldn't find them, but he did see that silent sixth year, sitting at his usual place at the end of the Gryffindor table, far from the other students. Syaoran Li was his name, and from what Harry had seen, he deserved to be in Slytherin. The boy was cruel and heartless, mindful of no one, not even himself. It was rumored that the boy got up very early every morning, disappeared for a few hours, and then returned, looking as if nothing was different. It was also rumored that he may even be in Voldemort's inner circle, and by Sakura's display at the Weasley home, Harry had no doubt that Syaoran Li had done something terrible to her.  
  
There was one fact that all the students were sure of, though. When they were in their fifth year, Hermione had found a book that revealed that, not only was Syaoran the future ruler of Hong Kong, he was also said to be engaged to his own cousin! This had disgusted many of the students, and had made them even more weary of the cold-hearted boy. But this did not keep many of the girls from admiring the Chinese boy's looks from afar. In fact, there was one Ravenclaw sixth year, who was determined to win Syaoran for her own. Her name was Rudy Kanudeson, and she was one of the most popular girls in the school. She had shoulder-length, shiny blonde hair, and deep brown eyes. Since the very start, she had flirted with him, and never seemed to be far away whenever he walked into a room. Personally, Harry thought that her obsession was disgusting, considering who it was she was admiring.  
  
"Hey, Harry! Wake up, you blockhead!" Ron called, jolting Harry out of his absorption.  
  
"Sorry, what were you saying Ron?" Harry asked guiltily.  
  
"Oh, nothing special. I was just pointing out that my sister is missing, and unless you haven't forgotten, she *never* misses a feast! And look! Even Neville isn't here!" Ron said, annoyed. Harry grinned.  
  
"Don't worry. I am sure that she is fine. He probably is as well." He reassured his friend, as he dug into his food and began to eat.  
  
When everyone was through, the plates cleared, and Dumbledore began to make his announcements. There was a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, named Professor Figg. Ron had snorted at the name, but when he had caught sight of the lovely woman, his mouth dropped open and he stopped laughing. Then, Dumbledore announced the news of the 'Mortal Angels' attending Hogwarts, and the whole of the Great Hall fell into uproar.  
  
Suddenly, something made Harry look over just in time to see Syaoran Li standing up from his seat, and then stomping out of the room. The Great Hall fell silent as everyone watched him leave. There was another movement, and Harry looked over to see Meiling Li, one of the most popular Gryffindor sixth years stand up, her ruby colored eyes excited.  
  
"Professor, you mean to tell me that the 'Mortal Angels', as in, Rika, Tomoyo, and Sakura.are the castle, at this very moment, and you didn't' tell me before?! Ugh! Where are they?! I have to talk to Tomoyo so we can start up some major matchmaking! Oh, and I need to get her new ideas of outfits for Sakura!" Meiling squealed, making everyone look at her as though she were crazy. Dumbledore, however, laughed and nodded.  
  
"Mr. Hiiragizawa, would you kindly show Meiling to your common room? I believe you will find Tomoyo and Rika there. Sakura, I am afraid, has gone outside for a little walk, but she should be in soon." Dumbledore said. At once, a tall, handsome Gryffindor sixth year with black-blue hair and blue eyes, named Eriol Hiiragizawa stood up and walked over to Meiling. Eriol was another heartbreaker of the school, but he had never even gone out with anyone yet, as far as Harry could see.  
  
"May I be so bold as to escort you, Miss Meiling?" Eriol flirted. Meiling grinned and took his arm.  
  
"Quit being such a drip, Eriol!" She laughed, as they walked out of the Hall, still chatting back and forth, as if they had known each other forever.  
  
"Now what was that all about?" Hermione said outloud. Dumbledore apparently heard her, and he smiled.  
  
"I believe that I have some explaining to do. You see, Meiling and the three girls of 'Mortal Angels', are very close friends. When she was ten, Meiling went on an exchange program to Tomeda, Japan, and met Rika Sasaki, Tomoyo Daidouji, and Sakura Kinomoto. The girls became very close friends, along with Meiling's cousin. Soon, though, Meiling and her cousin were forced to return to Hong Kong, and they haven't seen each other since. They were even forbidden to write to each other, for fear of distracting Meiling and her cousin from their normal, everyday duties."  
  
"But what does that have to do with the 'Mortal Angels'? And what is this about Meiling having a cousin?" Ron piped up.  
  
"Well, Rika, Tomoyo and Sakura *are* the 'Mortal Angels'. Those are their real names. They use stage names when they are on the road. Rika is 'Rose', Tomoyo is 'Violet', and."  
  
".Sakura is 'Cherry'!" Harry crowed, making his friends look at him in shock.  
  
"Yes, Mr. Potter, she is. There is another thing that you should know. Meiling has a cousin named.Syaoran Li." Dumbledore finished. This caused the whole room to gasp and shouts of exclamations to nearly raise the roof; these were from Meiling's friends and admirers.  
  
"Yes, Meiling and Syaoran are cousins, and yes, Mr. Li did go to Japan with her." The head-master affirmed.  
  
"They probably made out the whole time!" A Slytherin boy yelled.  
  
"Actually, no. Meiling called off the engagement soon after they arrived home the first time." Dumbledore admitted. Snickers filled the Hall.  
  
"Why am I not surprised?" Hermione asked, making the rest of their table laugh. But someone didn't find this at all amusing.  
  
"Stop laughing! You have no idea!" An angry voice rippled through the Great Hall, making everyone fall silent and turn towards the door. There, in the doorway, stood a livid Ginny Weasley. Her fists were clenched, and her face was a pale color.  
  
"Don't judge people before you get to know them, Hermione! You have no idea why Meiling broke off the engagement, so don't just assume that it was because of Syaoran's attitude! Meiling loved him very much, probably wouldn't have given him up, if not for one other factor in the story." Ginny said loudly, her voice not quite a shout. Ron was looking at his sister in amazement. Ginny never usually got this mad, and she most certainly never yelled at Hermione!  
  
"And what was that factor, Miss Weasley?" Dumbledore asked quietly. Instead of answering, Ginny simply turned her heal and stomped out of the room. Everyone looked after her in silence, and then turned back to Dumbledore. He looked quite thoughtful for a moment, and then his eyes lit up.  
  
"Ah! Could it be? That would explain both of their behaviors." He mussed. Then he seemed to snap out of it, and he looked back at the students.  
  
"You are excused. Prefects, please lead your houses back to their dorms." He instructed. The students rose, and began to file back to their common rooms, staying strangely silent. As Harry stood up, he caught sight of the new DADA teacher winking at him. For some reason, he got the feeling that he had met her somewhere before.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Sakura took a breath of the fresh air as she stepped outside onto the grounds. Then she quickly made her way to the edge of the forest, where the view of the setting sun was the best. She sat down on a tree stump, and watched as the sky turned from blue, to sakura pink, to amethyst purple, and then finally, to dark, mysterious blue. Sakura always loved this type of sunset, because it reminded her most of her friends and family. Even after the sky had gone dark and the stars had started to twinkle across the sky, Sakura sat, as if waiting for something. And finally, it came.  
  
"Oh, hello again!" Sakura breathed, as a figure stepped out of the Forbidden Forest. It was a unicorn, but not just any unicorn.no, this one had fair sized wings sprouting from its back! The unicorn was a creamy white in color, but its horn was quite colorful, displaying every color of the rainbow. Despite its coloring it was obvious that this little thing was only a baby, because of how small and trusting it was. It only reached as high as Sakura's waist, so far. As Sakura moved closer to it, it gazed at her with warm ice-blue eyes, and then allowed her to pet its nose, as it whinnied in delight.  
  
Sakura had first discovered this wondrous creature about three weeks ago, when she had used the Fly Card, to take a late night flight over the Forbidden Forest. She had been flying over a large clearing, when she had spotted something hiding in the bushes. She had swooped down to see what it was, and was shocked to see the unicorn cowering in the bushes. It's leg had been cut, and by the looks of the wound, it had been made by a sharp knife, perhaps by some poacher. Sakura had immediately pulled the creature into her lap, and used the Heal card (which she had created earlier that year), to heal the wound quickly and safely.  
  
Ever since that night, she had checked on it every day, to make sure that it was all right. One night, though, it found its way to her, coming out of the forest just as she was about to visit it; and ever since then, they had met in this place almost every night.  
  
"How are you doing?" Sakura cooed, as the little creature nuzzled against her. Sakura gave a laugh and then threw her arms around its neck and hugged it.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Syaoran sighed and collapsed onto the ground. He tucked his hands underneath his head, and gazed up at the star-filled sky.  
  
'Will she remember me? Will she still consider me a friend? Has fame changed her? I wonder what she looks like now. What will I say if I see her? What will I do? Damn! Can't I control anything anymore?! First, my feelings go, and then my conscious! How is it possible for a person to turn against himself?!' Syaoran's mind raged, these thoughts and a whole lot more racing through his brain. His eyes now held all the tortured emotion that he was normally able to hide from the world, and his face was relaxed, although, still nothing close to a smile appeared on is lips.  
  
Suddenly, something wet snuffled against his arm, and he looked up to a tiny little wolf pup gazing at him with intelligent brown eyes.  
  
"Hello Kuro." Syaoran said. The wolf pup was his new pet, that he had found in Diagon Alley. Kuro had been standing in a cage that was too small for him, and whining pitifully. Syaoran had immediately been taken with the pup, bought him, and named him after his fur color, black. Then he had written Dumbledore, to ask permission for the pup to come to Hogwarts. Intrigued, the Professor had given the affirmative, and now here they were.  
  
Kuro gave a yelp, and then gave his master a look that clearly said, 'take me on a walk'. Syaoran obediently got up, and walked down closer to the Forbidden Forest, with the happy wolf pup trotting by his side. Syaoran didn't know why, but something was drawing him in a certain direction, closer to the dark forest. Suddenly, there came a soft voice, a Syaoran turned to see a shocking sight.  
  
Not thirty feet away stood a lovely young woman with long auburn hair, standing over what looked to be a tiny, winged unicorn. The girl was dressed in a long pink skirt, that reached to her ankles, and a pink peasant top. She was also emitting a weak pink aura, that seemed strangely familiar. Syaoran caught his breath, and his body began to tremble. Could it be her? Was it possible, that this beautiful creature that stood before him was really his Cherry Blossom? Well, there was only one way to find out. Slowly, Syaoran allowed his green aura to merge with her pink one. Only if she was his cherry blossom, would she be able to feel it.  
  
With a soft gasp, the girl straightened and turned to look at him, her emerald eyes wide with a mixture of fear, shock, and disbelief.  
  
"Syaoran-kun?"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Sakura was so focused on the unicorn, that she did not hear anyone approaching, but after a moment, she did feel that aura! Warm, green, like a comforting blanket. Sakura turned around in shock, and faced the tall, handsome young man with messy chestnut colored hair and mesmerizing amber eyes. Eyes that she had dreamed about ever since he had left.  
  
"Syaoran-kun?" She breathed in a shaky voice. The boy stepped closer to her, his eyes never leaving her's.  
  
"Sakura." His words were not a question, but a statement. With a tortured cry, Sakura flung herself into his arms and sobbed hysterically. His arms closed around her tightly, and he slowly sank to the ground with her in his arms. As soon as he was seated, with his back to the tree-stump, he closed his eyes in a desperate attempt to prevent his own tears from falling, but to no avail. His angel was back in his arms again, where she belonged.  
  
Syaoran gently stroked her back, and rocked her back and forth, as his tears joined hers on her cheeks. Her arms were locked around his waist, as though she were afraid that if she let go, he would disappear again.  
  
"It's all right, Sakura. You don't have to cry anymore. I am here." He whispered, still rocking her. She sniffled and then looked up at him, her emerald eyes shinning with happy tears and the tears of pain now long gone.  
  
"Syaoran, you're crying." She breathed, reaching up and gently wiping his cheeks. He smiled down tenderly at her.  
  
"Only for you, my Ying-fa. Only for you." He answered benevolently, making a trembling smile come to her lips.  
  
"I am sorry. This is all my fault. I tried to tell you when you came the second time.but I couldn't. I was so afraid that." Her words were stopped as his finger covered her lips.  
  
"I understand." He soothed. Slowly, his face moved closer, and his lips brushed over her's. Rapture! Sakura eagerly returned the kiss, her heart jumping into her throat and skipping for joy. They pulled away for breath, and then she pulled his head back down, her sweet lips caressing his eyelids, cheeks, and finally, his mouth. His arms slipped around her waist, and her fingers tangled in his hair, as they fell backwards onto the lawn, their lips still locked together in a seemingly never-ending dance. It was pure heaven for both of them.  
  
With a laugh, Syaoran pulled away, as something nudged him in the leg. They looked down to see Kuro looking at them with laughing eyes. Behind him, the winged-unicorn watched them, its head nodding with delight. Sakura giggled at the sight, and Syaoran helped her to her feet, his arm twining around her slim waist.  
  
"We should probably go inside." He whispered into her ear, sending delicious shivers down her spine.  
  
"But I don't want this to end." She breathed, burying her head against his chest. He smiled.  
  
"It won't, my Ying-fa. From now, until forever." He assured her, laughingly picking her up and cradling her in his arms, as he spun her around. She giggled and kissed him again.  
  
"You know, Dumbledore moved Meiling and I into a new room, with a picture of Clow Reed guarding the entrance." He began, as Sakura beamed.  
  
"That is my dorm too!" She informed him with a laugh. He grinned, and then started to slowly make his way back to the castle, with her still in his arms. Kuro and the unicorn baby followed closely, not wanting to be left behind.  
  
"Syaoran, put me down! I am much too heavy for you to carry up all those steps!" She protested, as he carried her into the castle. He simply smiled and shook his head.  
  
"No you're not. You are light.lighter than you should be, I should point out." He said, gazing accusingly at her. She smiled.  
  
"I eat and eat and eat, and still I gain nothing. It is both a blessing, and a curse." She murmured, burying her face into his chest.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Professor McGonagle slowly made her way down to the dungeons, where she was to meet the other members of the Order of the Phoenix to discuss the latest developments of Voldemort's rise back to power.  
  
"Hello, Minnie." Dumbledore said as he came up beside her. McGonagle winced at the nickname.  
  
"Hello Albus. Any news?" She asked. Dumbledore smiled.  
  
"I have finally discovered the mystery surrounding our Mr. Syaoran Li." He commented, making her jump. Syaoran Li was one of her best students, and his grades rivaled Miss Hermione Granger's, but his coldness and silence unnerved her.  
  
"Oh?" She said simply, refusing to show her eagerness; But Dumbledore knew her better than that.  
  
"It seems that our Mr. Li made quite a few friends when he went on that exchange program to Japan. But only one of them was enough to toss him into this deep depression when he left. And that just happened to be the same person who he was madly in love with." Dumbledore explained, causing McGonagle to gasp, and stop at the top of a flight of stairs.  
  
"Heavens, Albus! He was only eleven, for goodness sake!" She protested. He nodded.  
  
"This was a very different situation, Minnie. You see.they are soul-mates. And being away from the one who is part of you, can be quite anguishing. This explains Mr. Li's behavior. It also took a toll on his beloved, Miss Sakura Kinomoto." At these last words, McGonagle nearly fell down the stairs in shock.  
  
"What? The Sakura Kinomoto? That sweet, happy little creature that runs around the castle every day with her friends, creating havoc for the teachers and then smoothing it over with that innocent little smile of hers? That same girl? Why, Albus, she seems perfectly happy!" McGonagle insisted. Dumbledore smiled sadly.  
  
"She *seems* happy, but inside, she is dying. When they were hiding at the Burrow, I even had to send a letter, via apparation, just to stop her from throwing herself into hysterics. Would you like to know why she was so unhappy? Because she had heard the mention of his name, and it brought back too many memories for her to handle. *ONE* mention of his name was all it took, Minnie." Dumbledore stated, as the other professor clutched her chest in horror and pity. Suddenly, a small giggle rippled through the air, and both professors turned to see a tall young man making his way up another flight of stairs, with something in his arms.  
  
"Dumbledore, students out of bed! And at this time of night!" McGonagle hissed. Dumbledore put his hand out and smiled.  
  
"Look at them, Minnie. They are finally back together, and they are happy. Let them be." He whispered. It was then that McGonagle realized that the two figures were Syaoran Li and Sakura Kinomoto. Sakura was cradled in Syaoran's arms, and her face was buried in his chest. He said something, and then a big, bright smile appeared on his lips. This was the first time either professor had seen him smile, let alone as happy as this.  
  
"Oh, Albus. He smiled! And his eyes!" She breathed, referring to Syaoran's sparkling amber orbs. Professor Dumbledore smiled again, and nodded.  
  
"Come Minnie, they are waiting for us." He whispered, taking her arm and leading her down to the dungeons.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
When Sakura, Syaoran, Kuro, and the unicorn reached the dorm, everyone else had gone to bed; it was no wonder! The clock over the mantle read, 'Too late for midnight snack'. Carefully and silently, Syaoran carried Sakura up to her room, and then shut the door behind them. When he was finished, he climbed up onto her bed and then reclined against the pillows. She was still wrapped in his arms, with her head on his chest. Kuro and the unicorn quickly settled down on the floor, cuddled up against each other. Sakura's phoenix, Goldenrod, flew down from her usual perch and settled down on the unicorn's back, falling asleep almost instantly.  
  
"You won't leave me.will you?" She asked fearfully, clutching the front of his shirt, her wide green eyes pleading. He smiled gently and kissed her forehead.  
  
"No. I couldn't if I wanted to.and I don't want to." Syaoran informed her with a slight laugh. Her sweet smile bloomed out, and she pulled his head down to kiss him. When they came up for air, she snuggled closer to him, and closed her eyes.  
  
"I love you, my Xiaolang." She whispered, just before her dark lashes brushed her pale cheeks in sleep. Syaoran looked down at his beloved Cherry Blossom, and smiled slightly, his eyes gleaming with love.  
  
"And I love you, my Ying-fa. Now and forever." He breathed, kissing her forehead, and then falling into a blissful sleep.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	8. Introductions and Touya

Daphne: "Eighth chapter, ready to be read! I am so happy to finally have this done, and I hope that you like it!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
Hogwarts-Sakura Style  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 8.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The next morning, when she awoke, Sakura felt a comforting presence near her. She looked up and smiled as she caught sight of the sleeping Syaoran. His chestnut hair was messier than usual, and a lock of it fell across his eyes. His cheeks were flushed pink with sleep, and his breathing was deep and regular.  
  
Sakura reached up, and smilingly brushed the lock of hair out of his eyes. His eyes blinked open, and intense amber met rich emerald. He smiled, and cupped her face in his hands.  
  
"How did you sleep?" He asked, his eyes roving her delicate face. She grinned.  
  
"Better than I have in years. You?" She asked cheekily.  
  
"Same as you." He answered, leaning down and kissing her rosy lips. She giggled and wound her arms about his neck. The kiss was passionate and full of true love, something that most sixteen year-olds did not experience until a much later age. But Sakura and Syaoran were not of the 'normal' race of people; no, they were two in a group of very special persons, all of whom had found their true loves at an early age. And this was only one aspect of the romance and love that bound these two, for there were many more that any mere mortal could not possibly comprehend.  
  
"We really should get some breakfast." She said breathlessly, as he pulled away. He hesitated, and then pulled out of her arms.  
  
"Fine. But while we eat, you have to tell me everything that has happened so far during your stay at Hogwarts." He insisted. She grinned and got off the bed, pulling him with her. When they got down to the common room, they found two plates of steaming food, waiting for them.  
  
"We is thinking that you might be getting hungry. So we is bringing you up something to eat. Also, Miss Tomoyo left you a note." Winky shrilled, coming out of her room, with Rose cradled in her arms. Sakura read the note, which simply said that the others were going down to the kitchens for breakfast, and then they were going to try to find Syaoran. He supposedly hadn't returned to his room last night, and Meiling was worried. Sakura showed the note to Syaoran, who laughed, and then they settled down to eat.  
  
As they ate, Sakura explained everything, from the time that she had arrived at Hogwarts and met Neville and Draco, to just before last night. Syaoran listened with interest, and then looked at Rose thoughtfully.  
  
"He did a good thing." Was all he said about Draco's shocking decision. Sakura was surprised that he took it so well.  
  
"So...what do you have first, today?" Syaoran asked, as they finished breakfast. Sakura smiled.  
  
"Over the last few weeks, we have been studying with the professors, so we wouldn't have to join our classmates immediately. It is better that they get used to our presence first, before we join them in the classes. We have already done what all the sixth-years are doing today, so we are just going to spend our time in the garden, at least until lunch." She said, as they got up to go their separate ways. After one last kiss, Syaoran hurried to his first class, (Transfiguration with Professor McGonagle), and Sakura hurried to meet her friends in the Great Hall/Enchanted Garden.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"Look! There is Ginny!" Hermione hissed, as the red haired girl appeared the next morning. Ginny had not returned to the dormitories last night, and Ron had been up half the night, worrying.  
  
"She had better have a bloody good reason for not coming to bed last night..." Ron began, but then he noticed that Ginny was not alone. In fact, Ginny was in the middle of what seemed to be a very funny conversation with the handsome sixth-year boy, Eriol Hiiragizawa! They were walking quite close to each other, while Meiling Li walked on Eriol's other side. Beside her, Neville was laughing his head off at something Eriol had said. As they moved closer, the conversation could be heard clearly.  
  
"...so then, Yamazaki told them that the Aztecs were actually an ancient singing group, that had been quite popular back in the day. I couldn't help but add that the Aztecs tended to wear punk-style hair, and nose rings. The next day, almost all the boys came to school with moehocks or dreadlocks and fake nose-rings! It was very entertaining." Eriol said with a straight face. Ginny and Meiling broke into giggles, while Neville worked hard to keep from collapsing to the floor in mirth.  
  
"Chiharu was so mad, that she hit him over the head with a mallet, and he ended up in the nurses office for the rest of the day." Eriol finished.  
  
"Ugh! Please tell me that he has grown up in the last five years!" Meiling groaned, rolling her eyes. Eriol smirked.  
  
"I highly doubt it." He chuckled, sitting down directly across from Harry. He shot Harry a sly smirk, and then went back to talking with his friends, who were now seated around him; it was an odd group, actually. Normally, Meiling would sit with the popular girls, and Eriol would join his group of friends. Neville tended to hover close to Ginny, and was quite shy when it came to talking, so it was quite a surprise when he sat down next to Meiling, and struck up a lively conversation with her. Neville was not one to be bold, so it shocked his friends when they realized that he was flirting recklessly with Meiling, and she was lapping it up!  
  
"...So then, I told him that I would rather die, than join his cause. Then he pulled out his wand..."  
  
"And pointed it at you?! Oh Neville, that was so brave!" Meiling gasped, as she wrung her hands. He smiled.  
  
"Not really. I just did what I believed was best. Power is not everything." Neville answered, winking at her, and making his friends mouths drop.  
  
"No, it is not." Meiling murmured, reaching over and squeezing his hand, before she began to eat. Harry glanced back over at Ginny, who did not seem aware that he was even in the same room as her.  
  
"So, Sakura (or Cherry, as most know her) tells me that you like to sing as well. Is that true?" Eriol asked, looking genuinely interested. Ginny blushed a bit, and lowered her head.  
  
"Well, I do like to sing, and I have even sung with them a few times. But I am not that great." She mumbled, playing with her food. Ron stared at his sister in shock.  
  
"You have met the 'Mortal Angels'?!" He yelped, making the whole room go silent. For the first time since she had entered the Great Hall, Ginny noticed that they were there. As soon as she caught sight of Harry, her cheeks reddened, and he felt a strange rush of satisfaction at the fact that he still had that affect on her. But when she looked at Ron, she rolled her eyes.  
  
"Of course I have. That is why I left for school so early, so I could show them 'the ropes'. And you have met them too, if I am not mistaken." She said, her voice echoing in the now silent room. Ron's mouth dropped open, and Hermione's eyes widened, while Harry smirked knowingly.  
  
"Yes you have. Remember those kittens that Professor Dumbledore brought me? Think Ron, there just happened to be *three* of them, and they were named Rose, Violet, and Cherry. Does that ring any bells?" Ginny asked curtly, as she got up from the table and left, closely followed by a smirking Eriol, a chuckling Neville, and a giggling Meiling.  
  
"Wait! Kittens, names, three...Ron, those kittens we were harboring, were actually the 'Mortal Angels' in disguise!" Hermione yelled, making everyone gasp. Harry, however, simply smirked.  
  
"Quick thinking, genius!" He laughed, starting to get up. He was stopped by Ron's hand flashing out and grasping his wrist.  
  
"You mean that you knew?! The whole time?!" Ron shouted. Harry grinned.  
  
"Well, not the whole time, but what can I say?! Ginny can't resist me!" He boasted. Ron growled.  
  
"Ginny wouldn't of..."  
  
"She didn't. I sort of figured it out on my own, and then Rika told Ginny that she could let me in, as long as I didn't tell anyone. And I've kept that promise." Harry stated, picking up his books and heading to their first class, Potions with Professor Snape. Ron and Hermione raced to catch up with him.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
When they finally got to the dungeons, many of the Slytherins were already there, including...Draco Malfoy. Harry suppressed a moan, and waited for Malfoy's usual abhorrent comment; but it never came. As Harry, Ron and Hermione sat down at their normal seats, Hermione frowned and looked pensive.  
  
"Have you noticed that Malfoy seems a little...distant from the other Slytherins? I mean, think about it! Usually, he is flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, but ever since we arrived, he has seemed to avoid them. I mean, he eats alone at meals, he sits at the end of the table, just like that Syaoran Li does, and he hasn't said a mean word to us at all. Do you get the feeling that something is wrong?" She asked. Ron and Harry looked at each other and shrugged. They hadn't noticed any of these changes, and it was just like Hermione to point them out.  
  
"Also, we find out the 'Mortal Angels' are attending this school, for seemingly no reason, and Meiling, Eriol, Ginny, and Neville start to hang out with each other, when as far as we know, Meiling never even glanced at Neville or Ginny before, Eriol never seemed to be that social, nor Ginny, for that matter. Ginny stops hanging around us, and Neville suddenly starts to act so... stoical and self-assured! If that isn't weird, I don't know what is." Hermione pointed out, just as Neville walked into the room and sat down near them.  
  
"Morning, Harry, Hermione, Ron." He said, immediately opening his book and pulling out his quill, barely even glancing at them. The three friends looked at each other, and shrugged in confusion. Soon after that, the dungeon door slammed open, and Severus Snape stalked into the room.  
  
"Today we are going to be concocting a potion that allows its user to fly, without the use of wings or brooms. The ingredients are in front of you. Get into pairs and get to work." Snape snapped, eyeing the students sharply. Hermione and Ron quickly got together, while Harry partnered up with Seamus Finnigan. Harry was not paying attention to anything else, until Snape spoke up again.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy, would you kindly pair up with Mr. Longbottom. I do not wish to have my classroom blown up, today." Snape said sharply. Harry looked up in astonishment. Snape may have been horrible, and downright mean, but he had never stooped to the level of putting the meanest student with the most helpless. This was an outrage! Harry watched as Draco got up out of his seat, and went to sit beside Neville, who, surprisingly, did not even flinch! Instead, he nodded to Draco, and then handed the Slytherin boy a knife, so he could start chopping the willow roots. Without a complaint, Draco settled down to do as he was told. Harry and Seamus shared a startled look, and then continued on with their work. They failed to notice the wink that Snape sent to Draco and Neville, and the knowing smile that the two boys shared before they began with their potion.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Sakura and her friends were calmly sitting in the garden talking, when Syaoran rushed into the room.  
  
"Meiling, Sakura! I missed the chance to do my training this morning, so would you like to join me while I do it now?" He asked eagerly. He was already dressed in his traditional costume, and his hair was tasseled more than ever. Meiling, who was sitting on a bench, got up and ran out of the room, not saying a word, but grinning to him on her way out. Sakura got up off the swing, where she and Tomoyo had been sitting.  
  
"I would love to." She said calmly, taking out her wand and flicking it at her body. Immediately, she was dressed in a battle costume that was identical to Meiling's, except it was white and pink, with a cherry blossom decorating the front, instead of a yin-yang. With a flick of her left hand, her sword flew into the room, and landed in her hand.  
  
"Ready." She chirped, as Syaoran's eyes nearly bulged out of his head.  
  
"Um.you look nice.beautiful." Syaoran said, and then shook his head, as if disbelieving, his face turning red. Tomoyo squealed and took out her camcorder, while Eriol smirked at him. Sakura smiled understandingly.  
  
"Tomoyo made it for me." She said simply. He grinned.  
  
"Fine with me! Come on."  
  
"Wait! What do you do, during this...training?" Ginny asked, curious. Syaoran turned and smiled at her, something she had never seen before.  
  
"Why don't you join us and find out." He said, taking Sakura's arm and leading her out of the room. Ginny looked excited.  
  
"If it has anything to do with those swords, I am so there!" She cried, hurrying after them. Eriol and Tomoyo were close behind, their heads bent over Tomoyo's video camera.  
  
When they got to the grounds, Meiling, Syaoran and Sakura conjured up sand bags, so they could practice their fighting skills. As soon as Eriol, Tomoyo, and Ginny were settled down on the grass beside them, the three warriors began to kick and punch at the sand bags. Ginny watched in dawning approbation and awe as they created a distinct rhythm to their kicks and punches, making it look almost like a dance. Tomoyo had the camera up to her eye, and Eriol was making comical comments about the look on Syaoran's face, or the way that Sakura's hair blew back in the wind, drying the sweat off her brow.  
  
Soon, Ginny noticed that they had attracted a crowd. Hagrid now sat behind them, throwing compliments and encouragement's to the fighters. By his side sat Remus Lupin, Bella Figg, Sirius Black, and a woman that Ginny did not know. They were all doing the same as Hagrid, except in quieter yells and cheers.  
  
"I am just guessing, but I think that that other woman is Sophia Heath." Eriol whispered, when he noticed Ginny's confused look. She nodded, but said nothing. After quite a while, the fighters stopped, took a five minute rest, wherein, they chatted with the older people and learned that the new woman was indeed Sophia Heath, who had flown in from America just that day. She had long jet-black hair, black eyes, and was quite exotic-looking, with her long legs and lovely curvy figure. After the five minutes, Sakura and Syaoran went back out on the 'training grounds'.  
  
"Meiling, why aren't you joining them?" Ginny questioned. Meiling shrugged.  
  
"I don't do sword-fighting." She said simply. Behind her, the five older people shared horrified looks as the two opponents bowed to each other, and then drew their swords and tapped them together. With methodical precision, Syaoran and Sakura went through a series of exercises that Wei had showed them before he, Syaoran, and Meiling left for Hong Kong the second time. Ever since then, Sakura had been working on the exercises almost every day, and had grown quite good at them.  
  
"Are you sure they won't hurt themselves?" Bella asked nervously. Meiling, Tomoyo, and Eriol smiled.  
  
"Not a chance. Syaoran has been doing this all his life, and Sakura since she was ten. They are both very careful, and would *never* hurt each other." Eriol stated firmly. Bella smiled a bit and then nodded.  
  
"We had best be getting back to the castle. Dinner will be soon." She said. Her companions nodded in agreement and they left. Soon after, Sakura and Syaoran finished, and the small group of students went inside and changed into their robes. They had all agreed that keeping Syaoran's image was a must; they must hide the connection between Sakura and Syaoran for as long as possible.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
So, as they had agreed beforehand, Syaoran stomped into the Great Hall first, causing the whole hall to go silent. Everyone had been watching for the three famed girls to come in, but instead, the cold boy had. This came as quite the disappointment, save to the one person who worshipped Syaoran, Rudy Kanudeson.  
  
Next, Draco came in, his head up and looking as he always did, although a bit more reserved. He took his place at the end of the Slytherin table and then looked at the door expectantly. It was then that the voices were heard.  
  
"...so then Sakura turned around, and this guy was behind her, asking for her autograph. Boy, were we surprised. I never thought that we would be recognized in Alaska!" A voice rang out, laughing. Giggles and chuckles filled the air.  
  
"Well, once, when we were home, Yamazaki came over to the studio and confused Chang to smithereens! He kept insisting that the name 'manager' was originally used for kings, when they went out on grand crusades and such. Poor Chang's eyes were spinning like crazy by the end of the tale, and Chiharu popped out of nowhere and hit Yamazaki over the head with her hammer. Of course, then they made out for the second time that week (that we had witnessed), and Tomoyo, of course-"  
  
"Taped the whole thing!" A group of voices chimed, obviously knowing the rest of the sentence by heart. There was a peel of laughter, and then seven figures entered the room. There was complete silence as the seven people looked around the room quietly, and then they continued up to the head table.  
  
Harry was able to spot Neville, who was standing next to Meiling and whispering something into her ear; she, in turn, was giggling. Next to her was Eriol, who was talking animatedly with a stunningly beautiful raven- violet haired girl. Next to the girl was another pretty girl who had red- brown hair and intelligent brown eyes that sparkled merrily at Ginny, who was next to her; for some reason, this girl seemed strangely familiar to Harry. Ginny was talking to the girl on her other side, a lovely auburn- haired girl who was giggling happily with Ginny. They all made their way up to Dumbledore, who was smiling down at them.  
  
"Well, well, well. I see that you have finally decided to grace us with your presence!" He chuckled, looking over the rims of his half-moon glasses. Looking hesitant, Meiling, Neville, Eriol, and Ginny broke away from the three unknown girls, and walked to the only available seats on the Gryffindor table, right near Syaoran Li. The three girls continued on their way, and stopped directly in front of Dumbledore. He smiled at them, and they, in turn, grinned back.  
  
"Now, I would like to introduce you to our new students. Please treat them with respect, because they are human too." He said warningly, glancing at his other students. The three girls turned and faced the room.  
  
"I am Tomoyo Daidouji, also known as Violet. Pleased to meet you!" The raven-violet haired girl chirped.  
  
"I am Rika Sasaki, aka Rose. A pleasure." The red-brown haired girl said, her eyes sparkling.  
  
"I am Sakura Kinomoto, alias Cherry, and I am very pleased to meet you! Hi Harry!" Sakura called cheerfully, waving at her dark-haired friend. Harry grinned and waved back. Tomoyo and Rika giggled and waved as well. This caused Dumbledore to smile even more.  
  
"You may take your seats, girls." He stated. They all grinned and moved down to where their friends had seated themselves. Unfortunately, the sweet girl, Sakura, was forced to sit next to Syaoran Li. Tomoyo sat beside Eriol, and Rika sat next to her, which was across from Syaoran. Nobody saw that underneath the table, Syaoran and Sakura were holding hands. Nobody, save one.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
At the Ravenclaw table, a sixth-year girl saw what had passed between the two, and she worked to fight back angry tears. Syaoran was hers! Not that famous slut's! And she would have Syaoran before the year ended, or her name wasn't...  
  
"Rudy? Rudy! Hey, hello!"  
  
Rudy looked over to see her best friend Stephanie looking at her, worried.  
  
"Look at her, Steph! Taking my man! *MY* Syaoran! He is mine, and that slut can't have him! Isn't she a little..."  
  
"Woah, Rudy, watch your mouth. Syaoran is a woman hater. He wouldn't look at her twice." Stephanie soothed, holding up her hands. Rudy glared at her.  
  
"He doesn't love her! He loves me, and soon he will see it! Soon, that will be me holding his hand. ME! You'll see!" Rudy hissed. Stephanie rolled her eyes and shrugged, turning to talk with another of her friends. Rudy smiled evilly.  
  
'Just you watch out, Sakura Kinomoto! Once you get on Rudy Kanudeson's bad side, you can kiss you happy life goodbye! And maybe even your *whole* life.'  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"...so what do we have today?" Tomoyo asked, as they walked down the halls the next morning. Rika looked at her list and cringed.  
  
"Um...Potions, with Professor Snape." She mumbled. She and her 'uncle' had agreed to keep their relationship a secret, so as not to attract attention from other students.  
  
"Oh good! Now we can see the 'real' Snape, that everyone is talking about!" Eriol said in a sarcastic voice. The others grinned at him as they entered the dungeon. Inside, they spotted Meiling and Syaoran seated next to each other, talking softly. Snape was sitting silently at his desk, grading some papers that his students had turned in. He looked up as they entered, but said nothing, seeing as some more students had walked through the door behind them.  
  
"Ohayo, Meiling! Ohayo Li-kun." Tomoyo called. Meiling turned around and waved, beckoning them over. They went and sat near her, Sakura, of course, ending up next to Syaoran. Since she couldn't speak to him aloud, she decided to write notes to him instead. She even had her own code-name for him.  
  
//Green Wolf,  
  
How long will we have to keep this up? I don't like pretending that I hate you. It hurts me.// She wrote, and then slipped the parchment to him when Professor Snape's back was turned. He read it and worked hard to conceal a smile.  
  
//Pink goddess,  
  
Until people are willing to accept it. I don't like this any more than you do, and it really hurts not to be able to speak with you until after supper. But remember, I am always by your side, no matter what. Just let out your aura a little, let it mingle with mine, and then you will know.// He wrote back, slipping the note to her under the desk. She smiled as she read it, and a few minutes later, he felt just a strand of her aura mingling with his. He could not hold in his happiness, and bent over his work hastily, so he his grinning face could not be seen. Sakura too, was smiling happily, even though Eriol had just shot her a warning glance. Sure, the other students and the Professor could not feel her aura, but Eriol sure could! Quickly, Sakura returned back to her work as well.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"I can't believe that Snape didn't give us any homework today!" Harry exclaimed, as he and Ron met up with Hermione, and Ginny. They both nodded and then continued onto the great hall.  
  
"Ohayo, everyone!" Came a cheerful voice. All four of them turned to see Sakura waving to them, with Eriol, Tomoyo, Rika, and Meiling on her heals. Eriol began to chat with Harry and Ron over some new Quidditch moves, while the girls found the topic of transforming people into animals more enjoyable.  
  
"I still can't believe that you were there the whole time! I mean, I got the feeling that those cats were suspicious, but I never imagined that they were actually 'humans'!" Hermione exclaimed. Ginny giggled as Rika, Sakura and Tomoyo grinned.  
  
"Like I said, the only pet that I have ever been was a 'teacher's pet', until now!" Rika giggled as they entered the Great Hall. It was already full of students, but up at the head table, there were two new people that no one had ever seen before. No one, that is, except for Sakura and her friends.  
  
"Touya?!?!" Came a chorus of yells from Sakura, Rika, Tomoyo, and Meiling. The taller of the two people stood up and grinned at Sakura.  
  
"Hey, kaijuu!" Touya laughed as Sakura gapped, and then rushed to hug him.  
  
"But what are you doing here?" Sakura asked, pulling back and looking up at her brother. He smiled, causing several girls in the hall to swoon.  
  
"I was accepted into a college not far from here, and I decided to go. Besides, someone had to watch over you, Kaijuu!" He teased, causing her to growl and stomp on his foot. It was then that Sakura noticed someone else behind Touya.  
  
"Yukito!!!" She shrieked, launching herself at the other young man. He laughed and hugged her back.  
  
"How are my divas? I hope that you haven't been getting into too much trouble!" He teased.  
  
"Were fine!" They chorused, giggling hysterically as Yukito mimicked them and moved his hips from side to side in a rough imitation of them walking.  
  
"Hey, what about us?!" Meiling called, indignant. Yukito grinned.  
  
"Well, if it isn't my Tough Fighter and Mr. Grump." Yukito said, teasing both Meiling and Syaoran. Syaoran growled and worked hard to keep from grinning. Meiling laughed and hugged the boy quickly, before taking his arm and dragging him down the isle.  
  
"Come on! We want to show you our rooms! And introduce you to our friends." Meiling crowed, as she pulled him from the room.  
  
"You're coming too, Li-kun!" Yukito called desperately, grabbing Syaoran's arm on the way out. Both boys disappeared from view, as Touya started to shout about his best friend 'being a traitor for inviting the gaki'. Tomoyo was laughing hysterically, taping the whole thing, while Sakura, Ginny, and Rika giggled helplessly in the background. Eriol was smirking at the boy's dilemma, but his smirk was wiped off his face when Tomoyo grabbed his hand and pulled him after Meiling and her captives. Rika and Sakura met each other's eyes, and then each one of them grabbed one of Touya's arms and dragged him after, still yelling about his friend betraying him. Ginny, who was still giggling helplessly, followed at a safe distance.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	9. Unexpected

Daphne: "For those of you who don't know who Sophia Heath is...let me clarify. She is one of Lily and James Potter's best friends from school...at least, she was Lily's friend! I believe that this is all I wanted to tell you, so enjoy!  
  
Oh, one quick little announcement, for those of you who haven't heard...J.K. Rowling, the woman who wrote the wonderful Harry Potter books...is pregnant! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is true! And I just want to say Congratulations to her!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hogwarts-Sakura Style  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 9.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Oy, Harry? Have you seen Ginny around?" Ron called, his voice echoing in the empty Gryffindor common room.  
  
"Erm.no. Why?" Harry answered, looking up from his Potion's homework. It was now early December, and the teachers were piling on the homework to make up for the long Holiday coming up. Supper was going to be soon, but he wanted to get this done as soon as possible.  
  
"Well, Hermione said that Ginny kept asking her what colors she looked best in, this morning, and then Hermione overheard her talking with Rika about how she had never ridden in an muggle aireopane (whatever that is), before, and that she was eager to do so. Don't you find that the least bit suspicious? I mean, Ginny has hardly ever even *heard* of aireopanes before." Ron exclaimed. Harry grinned.  
  
"It's 'airplane', Ron, and I am sure that there is nothing to worry about!" Harry soothed, looking back down at his homework. Ron sighed, and collapsed in a chair near Harry. For a while, both boys were silent, lost in their own thoughts. Then-  
  
"Harry?! Ron! We are going to be late for supper!" Hermione called, as she raced through the portrait hole. Both boys grinned at each other and then got up and followed her out of the common room and down to the Great Hall. When they got there, they saw that Ginny was missing, which was not unusual for her, nowadays. Harry also noticed that Sakura's older brother, Touya was back again, this time, alone. He was waiting impatiently by the head- table, his muggle coat still on.  
  
"I wonder what he is doing here." Hermione whispered, as they took their seats. Suddenly, there was a soft cry, and Harry turned to see his friend, the house-elf Dobby, running into the room with a soft bundle in his arms. It took Harry a moment to register that the bundle was actually a small baby!  
  
"Dobby is sorry for being late, Mr. Dumbledore sir. He is bringing baby Rose, just as Sir commanded." Dobby squeaked out, handing the baby over to Dumbledore. The baby ceased to cry, and the Professor smiled down at it, before handing it to Touya.  
  
"She will be safer with you, for the time being. Now, I want you to write if anything seems wrong, and you must promise to check in twice a day. That goes for everyone else as well." Dumbledore commanded. Touya nodded silently, unaware of the strange stares that he was getting from the students in the room.  
  
"...sure you packed everything?" Came Tomoyo's voice, echoing off the walls of the outer hall. All the students and teachers turned to see Tomoyo, Rika, Sakura, Ginny, Syaoran, Eriol, Neville, Meiling, and Draco entering the room. They were all dressed in warm muggle clothes, and they all lugged large pieces of baggage behind them. Even Ginny had her fair share of luggage.  
  
"Yes, Tomoyo, we packed everything!" Rika moaned as they continued up past the tables to where Touya stood.  
  
"Oh! We get to take Rosie with us!" Sakura cried, looking at the baby. This caused Ron to jolt out of his chair in alarm.  
  
"WHAT?! Your leaving? Where? Ginny, what do you think you are doing?!" Ron shouted, his voice echoing in the otherwise silent room. Ginny turned around in surprise and then smiled nonchalantly  
  
"I am going on a vacation with Sakura and everyone. They invited me, and mum said I could go. I get to go to a ball, Ron! And we are going to have a slipover, and we might even go to China!" Ginny squealed, her voice excited. Ron, Hermione, and Harry sat in shock, unable to say a word.  
  
"I get to ride in an airplane, and then in a limo, and I get to experience real muggle living!" Ginny finished.  
  
"And what is he doing?" Ron asked, getting over his initial shock and noticing Draco.  
  
"Oh, he is coming with us. Neville is too!" Sakura added in a cheerful voice. She seemed to think that nothing was wrong with this picture; Ron, Harry, Hermione and most of the other people in the room did not agree with her, but what could they do?  
  
"Now, do you have the train and plane tickets? And Tomoyo, have you called to have the limo pick us up, yet?" Touya asked. They all nodded.  
  
"Good. Now, where is Nakuru?" Touya asked, looking around. Suddenly, she appeared in the doorway, her arms full of baggage.  
  
"Here I am! Let's go! I want to see my kawaii Japan again!" Nakuru squealed, causing the others to grin.  
  
"Goodbye, Professor! We will keep in contact! Goodbye, Bella!" Sakura called. Rika gave a secret wave to Severus Snape, who returned it slightly. As the group was passing by, Ginny managed to slip a 'good bye' note to Harry, before she was ushered out of the hall by Touya. Nakuru had taken over the baby, and was now cooing over it as they disappeared from sight. Ron, however, was not happy to see them leave.  
  
"Professor! Why didn't anyone tell me! She is my sister, after all! And that *Malfoy* thing is going with them? What were you thinking?" Ron cried, voicing many of their questions. Dumbledore smiled.  
  
"Everything is under control, Mr. Weasley. We didn't tell you, because we knew that it would upset you. Mr. Malfoy is going because he was asked to go along and watch over the girls, just in case something happened." Dumbledore explained.  
  
"But why are they going in the first place?" Ron asked weakly. Dumbledore shrugged.  
  
"That I cannot answer, Mr. Weasley. You see, about a month ago, Sakura received a letter-" He began to tell them how Sakura had come up to his office, begging him to let her go home over the winter holidays, with her friends. He had agreed, knowing how much she wanted to go. He failed to mention to the students, though, that Syaoran had accompanied her on her visit, and that they were visiting both her home, and his.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
*What really happened when Sakura got the letter*  
  
  
  
*Flashback*  
  
  
  
Sakura was swinging in the 'enchanted garden' on weekday afternoon, when Goldenrod came flying through the owl windows, and dropped a letter near her. Sakura petted the beautiful bird, and then went over to look at her letter. She was stunned to see that it had the Li's crest on it. Quickly, she opened it and read the following:  
  
//Dear Ms. Kinomoto Sakura:  
  
Sakura dear, I would not be surprised if you are shocked to receive this. I am writing on a matter of some urgency. It has come to the Elders attention that you and Syaoran have reunited at school, and have become even closer, despite your obvious problems. Now, I do not want to startle you with this information, but I must tell you, for I do not want you entering into it, unaware of the consequences.  
  
The elders have decided to ask you to attend a ball on the thirtieth of December, that will be held in your honor. There, they intend to ask you if you are planning on becoming Syaoran's betrothed. I know this will come as a shock, and I apologize. You must already know that Syaoran is required to marry by or on his eighteenth birthday, in order to become the Li Clan leader, and that the elders must approve of his bride. They have approved of you, and now, it is your decision whether or not you want to go through with it.  
  
This is your choice, Sakura, and you must make it on your own. You must not feel pressured into doing this, you must do it completely on your own free will. I will tell you that Syaoran has no idea I am writing this to you. He is going to be receiving a letter from the Elders, and I am sure that he will confront you about it eventually.  
  
Now, you may bring as many friends with you as you like, as I am sure that you do not wish to come alone, and I insist that you bring your father as well, for I am sure that he will have a say in this.  
  
Now, I must close, but in doing so, I will admit that I am looking forward to seeing you, Sakura, and I know that you will make the right choice for you.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Li Yelan//  
  
  
  
For a moment, Sakura stared at the letter in shock, unable to say a word. They wanted her to marry Syaoran?! They had actually approved of her? But what about Syaoran, did he want this? Did she?  
  
"Hoe." Sakura whispered, reading the letter again, slower this time. Suddenly, she felt a warm green aura behind her, and she felt a rush of dread fill her.  
  
"You're mad." She whispered, not daring to look at Syaoran. He growled.  
  
"They had no right to do this." He hissed, causing her heart to sink. Perhaps he didn't love her, in the same way she did him! Maybe it had all been a mistake...  
  
"I am sure they thought it for the best. Besides, you can forbid it. They cannot disobey you." She said in a voice much harsher than she had intended. Though she couldn't see it, his face fell and pain filled his eyes at her smarting words.  
  
"I could...I suppose. But you are still coming to the ball, aren't you?" He asked. She sighed as her heart broke to pieces.  
  
"I was invited, wasn't I? It would be rude to refuse." She muttered, looking down at the letter in her limp hands. He frowned and looked down at the letter he had received from the elders. Pain was filling his chest and he worked to keep himself together. She didn't want him. It was clear in how she had already virtually said 'no' to the marriage proposal.  
  
"I will write my mother and tell her." He said, turning away. Tears flooded Sakura's vision and she couldn't stop a whimper from leaving her lips. He turned in shock, to see tears streaming down her face, which she was hiding in her hands. Guilt filled him. How could the elders have done this?! How could they bring this on someone as pure and innocent as Sakura? They were too young to be even *thinking* about marriage, and here they were, practically *in* an arranged a marriage!  
  
"Sakura...oh, Sakura, please don't cry." He whispered, walking over to her and pulling her into his arms. She sobbed and buried her head in his chest. Both letters fell to the floor, as Syaoran's hands rubbed her back, and Sakura's arms found their way around his waist. Then he asked a question that he never thought he would get the courage to ask.  
  
"Do you want this?" He asked hesitantly. Sakura froze, and his heart nearly stopped beating from the suspense. Slowly, she nodded her head, as tears coursed down her cheeks. Every happy emotion that could enter his heart, did. He felt laughter bubbling up into his chest and he smiled, just like a little boy.  
  
"Then why don't we just tell them. We both want it, and we won't be able to live in peace away from each other, we both know that." He murmured, covering her lips with his in a passion-filled kiss that left her legs weak and her energy gone. When he pulled away, she nuzzled against him, smiling softly.  
  
"Oh, Syao-kun." She sighed, causing him to chuckle.  
  
"I love you, my Ying-fa. More than you will ever know." He whispered.  
  
"And I love you, Xiaolang. So much." She breathed, kissing him once more, before they went off to tell Dumbledore about the impending trip. They failed to mention, though, the true reason that they were going back. Instead, they had made up the excuse that she just wanted to visit some of her old friends and family.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"Wow! I have never been to an airport before!" Ginny exclaimed, looking around the huge building. Her companions grinned. Tomoyo held up her camera and trained it on the red-haired girl.  
  
"So, what do you think?" Tomoyo questioned. Ginny put on a thoughtful face, and then looked straight into the camera.  
  
"I love it!" She giggled, spinning around. Tomoyo laughed and then pointed her camera at Draco.  
  
"And what about you, 'muggle hater'?" She teased. His face turned serious and he looked around. Then he nodded.  
  
"Muggles are more...intelligent than I thought. I admit that I was wrong. Perhaps they *are* worth something. And besides, they can't help their ignorance." He added. Everyone agreed.  
  
*Flight seven-ninety-eight from London, England to Tokyo, Japan, now boarding first-class passengers at gate A-12!* A voice came over the intercom.  
  
"That's us!" Tomoyo squealed, as she rushed towards the gate. The other's followed. Ginny, Neville and Draco looked around in wonder as they walked down the long tunnel towards the plane.  
  
"Wow!" Neville breathed, as they entered into the plane. A pretty flight attendant greeted them, and then showed them to their seats. There were six rows of two seats on each side of the wide isle. Sakura and Tomoyo were in the first seats on the left, while Syaoran and Eriol were on the first seats on the right. Ginny and Rika were in the seats behind Sakura and Tomoyo, while Draco and Neville seated themselves behind the first two boys. Meiling and Nakuru sat just behind Ginny and Rika, and Touya sat behind them, with Yukito, who they had met at the airport. Baby Rose was cuddled up in Nakuru's arms.  
  
"Now what?" Draco asked. Syaoran snorted.  
  
"You close your eyes and pray that we don't crash." He stated, causing Eriol to elbow him.  
  
"Ignore him. The captain will announce some things, and then we will take off. When they turn off the 'fasten seat-belt' button, we will be free to walk around." Rika said. They all nodded and then watched as the flight attendant showed them how to work their seat-belts. Then they sat back as the plane pulled out of the gate, and onto the runway.  
  
"WOW!!!" Ginny squealed, as they lifted off. She began to giggle and turned to look out the window eagerly.  
  
"We are so high up! This is so brilliant!" She cried, causing her friends to laugh.  
  
"It is rather fun." Draco said hesitantly, looking out his own window at the world below. Neville, who had been clutching his arm-rest in a death- grip, gradually let go and looked out the window as well.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"That was good." Ginny commented five hours later, as the movie they had been watching ended. It had been 'Goonies'. It was past midnight, and they were all getting tired.  
  
"I think that we should turn in. It is going to be a long day tomorrow, what with showing them around Japan and all." Rika sighed, leaning back in her seat and closing her eyes. Meiling, Neville, Sakura and Draco were already asleep. Eriol yawned and rested his head on the headrest of his chair, while Tomoyo rested her head on Sakura's shoulder.  
  
Syaoran watched as his Cherry Blossom's eyes fluttered open, and met his eyes. She shot him an exhausted smile, and then closed her eyes again. Syaoran waited until he knew that she was asleep again, and then allowed himself to fall into a light sleep. Ginny looked around and smiled when she saw that all her companions had fallen to sleep. Tiredly, she pulled 'The Secret Garden' out of the backpack that Sakura had lent her to use, and read a little bit.  
  
"Life is certainly getting interesting." She mumbled, as she looked up from her book for a moment. A few months ago, she had had no friends, and was known to everyone as the 'youngest Weasley', or 'Ron's little sister'. But now, she was just Ginny. Only Ginny. And she had even been able to carry out a decent conversation with *the* Harry Potter, one-on-one. Yes, life was certainly changing, and for her at least, it was getting better.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"I can't believe it! I can't believe that she just up and left without any warning!" Ron exclaimed, as he, Harry and Hermione climbed through the portrait hole after the feast. After Ginny and the rest of the group had left, the Great Hall had returned to normal, except for when Rudy Kanudeson yelled something about a 'slut taking her man'. For some reason, Harry had remained silent the whole rest of supper, though. His friends tried in vain to get him caught up in the conversation, but he had always drifted off, ignoring their attempts; Now was no different.  
  
"Harry? Are you alright?" Hermione asked gently, trying to include him again. Harry kept staring off into space, a funny look on his face. He had read Ginny's note earlier, and that was when he had started to act so withdrawn. He had hardly spoken a word since dinner.  
  
"Oy! Harry!" Ron shouted, waving his hand in front of Harry's face. Harry jumped and turned with an annoyed scowl on his face.  
  
"What?!" He snapped. Ron reeled back, and Hermione looked vexed.  
  
"You have been out all night! What is wrong with you?" She hissed. He glared and the his face fell as he sighed.  
  
"I don't really know. But-don't you get the feeling there was something they weren't telling us? I mean, first, the 'Mortal Angels' hide in your house for half the summer, then Ginny starts acting as though we are not here, then there's Neville, who is becoming so confident that he is actually conversing openly with *Draco Malfoy*; and Malfoy isn't much better. On top of all this, there is the fact that Sakura knew something about the Li Clan before she even came to this school. Even Syaoran Li is starting to act half-way decent!" Harry exclaimed. Hermione looked thoughtful, while Ron tried to piece together what Harry had just said.  
  
"You may be right, Harry, but what would Sakura have to hide? Or any of them for that matter? I think that Malfoy is just trying to get in good with them, because they are new and don't know about his reputation. Ginny trusts everyone, you know that. And Neville-well, he is just growing up. Perhaps he has realized that he is braver than he thought he was." Hermione argued.  
  
"Yah, but that doesn't explain why Ginny and Neville never come into the Gryffindor tower any more. Neville's bed is always empty, and his things have been moved, same with Ginny's room. I know that Ginny is staying near her new 'friends', but what about Neville? Where does he sleep every night?" Ron countered. Harry sighed.  
  
"The same place that Eriol and Meiling sleep. I overheard them talking in the hallway one day. Apparently, they were moved there so they could be closer to Sakura, Rika, and Tomoyo. Do you remember what Dumbledore said that first night, about the 'Mortal Angels' knowing Meiling and Syaoran? Well, I think that they may have known Eriol too. Meiling seemed pretty chummy to him that night, although we have never seen her speaking with him before." Harry pointed out. Hermione nodded.  
  
"Maybe we should write 'Snuffles' about this. He might know something." Ron suggested. Both of his friends agreed with this and they immediately sat down to compose a letter.  
  
//Dear Snuffles:  
  
How are you? We are all fine here. Hermione and Ron send their greetings, and I am sure that if Ginny were here, she would too.  
  
Which leads me up to the purpose of this letter. Lately, Ginny has been acting very strange. You must know by now that the 'Mortal Angels' have been going to Hogwarts this year, and that Ginny befriended them. We have noticed several changes ever since she has. Ginny has started to ignore us, and spends all her time with her new friends. Also, Eriol Hiiragizawa, Neville Longbottom, Meiling Li, and Draco Malfoy have begun to hang around them as well. They all seem to be hiding something, though what it is I can't figure out. Syaoran Li (you have heard me mention him in a few of my other letters), has also started to turn up around them, though he hasn't seemed to change much. In fact, it almost seems as though he is looking for an opportunity to kill someone (Well, not really, but he seems close!)  
  
Do you have any idea what could be going on here? If so, please tell us. We are genuinely worried about Ginny, and if she is in any danger, we want to know.  
  
Anyway, I hope that you are well, and that Buckbeak isn't giving you any trouble. By the way, have you spoken to Professor Lupin lately? Perhaps he would know something.  
  
Your impatient godson,  
  
Harry//  
  
  
  
When the letter was finished, Harry, Ron and Hermione took a quick trip up to the owlrey and posted the letter with a school owl. They were just about to leave when they heard voices coming up the stairs.  
  
"...do you think it wise to allow them to go unattended?"  
  
"Dumbledore made them take some communicators so that they could check in every day. He is taking no chances."  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other. They knew those voices! They belonged to Professor Figg and Professor McGonagle. Cautiously, the trio crept down the owlrey stairs, listening to the conversation.  
  
"But that won't stop Voldemort from trying! He is already after poor Neville Longbottom and Draco Malfoy, and with them there, Voldemort could easily make a clean sweep of killing them all off." Professor Figg argued.  
  
"Yes, but I cannot understand why Dumbledore is making such a fuss about the others. Mr. Longbottom and Mr. Malfoy are understandable, but why would You-know-who want the rest of them?" McGonagle pondered.  
  
"He wants Ginny because he knows that if he gets her, Harry will try to save her. Basically, Voldemort wants Ginny as bate. And with the 'Mortal Angels' in his clutches too, he knows that the Wizerding World will do everything to keep them safe. With Syaoran being the future ruler of Hong Kong, and Meiling being his cousin, that will just add more to the ransom. With all those kids here, we are practically screaming 'hostage situation'!" Professor Figg explained, slipping a bit into the American lingo.  
  
"Well, I am sure that with all the precautions that we have taken, Miss Kinomoto and the others will be just fine. Besides, they will be in Japan with their families, so they should be quite safe."  
  
"Oh! Albus didn't tell you, did he? They are also taking a week's trip to China, to visit Syaoran's family. It seems that Sakura and Tomoyo know his family quite well, and they wanted to visit while they got the chance." Professor Figg said, as they began to walk away from the listening trio.  
  
"They will be even safer there." McGonagle added, her voice fading away. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at each other in shock. They then hurried back to the common room, which was empty, and collapsed onto some of the chairs.  
  
"I can't believe it! Why would Voldemort be after Neville and Malfoy? I mean, isn't Malfoy one of his followers, now?" Harry asked in shock. Ron shrugged helplessly, while Hermione buried her head in her hands.  
  
"Perhaps we should think it over and talk about it tomorrow. I'm exhausted." She whispered, getting up and walking up the stairs to her dormitory. Ron and Harry nodded, following her example. But none of them fell asleep for some time after they had shut the hangings on their beds.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"We are almost there!" Rika crowed, looking out the window. It was quite early the next morning, but all of them were up and ready to start the day. Jet-lag had not yet set in, although those who had flown before had warned the others.  
  
"Wow! Look at how big it is!" Neville exclaimed, still quite shocked at the size of muggle buildings. The plane landed smoothly, and it taxied up to the gate without a hitch. Sakura and her friends gathered up their baggage and quickly exited the plane.  
  
"Otou-san!!!" Sakura shrieked, spotting her father in the crowd. She rushed forward and glomped the man, much to the amusement of Ginny, Neville and Draco. Just behind Fujitaka stood Daidouji Sonomi, who was beaming at the whole group.  
  
"Mother!" Tomoyo cried, rushing up to hug her mother tightly. Since Fujitaka still had to go to work every day, and Touya no longer lived with him, they had decided that Sakura, Rika, and the others would stay at Tomoyo's home until they had to leave to China.  
  
Now, it must be known that when Fujitaka and Touya found out about the *real* reason for the trip to China, they had had mixed reactions. Touya had immediately gone into a frenzy, breaking things, as he swore to kill the 'Chinese Gaki' the moment he got his hands on him. Fujitaka had been hesitant, but in the end had agreed, because he knew just how deep Sakura's love ran for Syaoran. Tomoyo, Rika, and Eriol were the only other people informed of the impending betrothal, and all of them supported it.  
  
"Come on! We have so much to show you!" Tomoyo squealed, her eyes sparkling. She grabbed Ginny's hand and dragged her through the airport, her friends laughing behind them.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	10. Hiho, hiho, it's off to China they go!

Daphne: "Tenth chapter! I hope you enjoy it.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hogwarts-Sakura Style  
  
by: Daphne LI  
  
Chapter 10.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Happy Christmas to me, Happy Christmas to me! Happy Christmas to mee-hee, Happy Christmas to meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Ron sang, as he jumped down the stairs Christmas day. The week before had been rather dull for Harry, Ron, and Hermione, because most of the other students had left for Christmas Vacation. But now it was Christmas day, and Ron had woken them with his annoying song.  
  
"Yes, Happy Christmas to you, now shut your bleeding mouth and go back to sleep!" Yelled a half-asleep Hermione. Harry just groaned and turned over in bed. Ron let out an annoyed sigh, and then got a mischievous grin on his face.  
  
"Oh, bloody hell! Crookshanks has ripped through all the presents!" Ron shouted, pretending to be enraged.  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"NO, CROOKSHANKS! BAD KITTY!" Hermione cried, as she and Harry came tumbling down the stairs from their dormitories. Ron broke into uproarious laughter and doubled over, trying to catch his breath.  
  
"You---should have seen your faces! It was bloody priceless!" He chuckled, as they both shot him death-glares. Harry went for Ron's stomach, while Hermione took his neck; she didn't get very far. Before her hands could latch onto his neck, he had secured them in his own, and placed a set of dizzying kisses on her lips, much to Harry's annoyance. Hermione immediately calmed and gave a delighted moan as Ron's lips trailed down her neck.  
  
"Alright, you two! Break it up. Snogging is for the bedroom, not in public- or in front of me!" He added, as they turned bright red. The two guilty shuffled away from each other and made at the presents.  
  
"Oh! Look what Sirius sent me!" Harry laughed, holding up a prank-playing kit. Remus had also sent him some dung bombs ("Just in case!") and some filibuster fireworks. Ginny had given him a crystal stag that she had managed to make on her own, which Harry had stared at in awe, and then protectively stuffed it in his pocket so he could examine it later, when Ron and Hermione weren't there. Harry was also delighted when he reached three packages that read, 'From Sakura, Tomoyo, and Rika'.  
  
First he opened Sakura's, and found several books on Animagi and how to become them. Harry got the suspicion that they were normally not used for public use, and he wondered where she had gotten them. Tomoyo had given him a small camera, with a spell on it that made it so anything he took a picture of, would be like a movie when he got the film developed. Rika had given him a portrait of a rambling countryside, complete with waving flowers and a distant forest. If you listened carefully, you could hear the trees rustling in the slight breeze that moved across the picture.  
  
"Cool!" Ron exclaimed. The 'Mortal Angels' had gotten him several 'Ron- like' presents, including a autographed picture of themselves as a joke. Ron, however, had enjoyed this present the most, and had set it up so he could see it from his bed. Hermione had gotten a book on different hair- styles to use, and she had immediately gone at her hair with fervor. After a while, she had managed to do a *very* fancy french-braid, which Ron gaped at for a while, before she pulled him into their second snog session of the day. Harry rolled his eyes and then pulled the crystal stag out of his pocket, looking it over carefully. It seemed to have a distinct aura of Ginny too it, and as he moved it across his hand, he felt a comforting feeling rush through his veins. Suddenly, a small, red blinking light caught the edge of his vision and he looked over to see something lying on the floor. It looked like a small, black piece of square plastic, with a blinking light in the very center. Curious, Harry went over, picked it up and ran his finger over the light. There was a slight buzzing noise, and than Harry was astonished to see Ginny sitting right next to him!  
  
"GINNY?!?!" He shouted, much to the girl's amusement. Ron quit kissing Hermione, opened his eyes, and gave a yelp, while Hermione simply gaped.  
  
"Happy Christmas, everyone!" She said cheerfully, he voice echoing and sounding far off. They simply stared at her and she grinned.  
  
"It is a transmitter that Dumbledore gave us to communicate with. Except this one is a little different. I am actually projected into the room with you all, until the conversation is finished. In fact, even though you can't see it, Sakura and everyone else are here with me, and watching us talk!" Ginny added, giggling.  
  
"Wow! So this is how the teachers have known how you have been! Oh, and Happy Christmas to you, too." Harry said, finally coming out of his stupor. She smiled and then noticed that he still had her present clutched in his hand. She blushed and looked over at her brother.  
  
"Snogging with Hermione again, were you?" She teased, much to his embarrassment. He then frowned.  
  
"Ginny, why didn't you tell me you were going?" He asked. She looked troubled.  
  
"Because I knew that if I did, you would freak out at me." She answered simply. Hermione crossed her arms in a disbelieving way.  
  
"Uh-huh...so explain to us why, exactly, the teachers are acting so protective of you all of the sudden?" She countered. Ginny visibly paled.  
  
"I don't know what you are talking about, 'Mione. I am in the company of several *very* famous people, and it can be quite dangerous at times." She said, skittering around the question. But Hermione was not ready to give up.  
  
"And what about this sudden interest that a certain wizard-namely 'You-Know- Who', has in you?" She pushed. Unfortunately, she pushed just a little too hard.  
  
"Who said anything about Voldemort wanting me? Now, if you will excuse me, we have a very big party to attend, so I need to go now. I hope the rest of your vacation goes well!" Ginny called, as her image shimmered and then evaporated into thin air. Harry, Ron, and Hermione gaped at each other.  
  
"Something is *definitely* going on." Harry mumbled, looking down at the crystal stag in his hand. It almost seemed to be glowing, but that was impossible-right?  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"Ginny, I would like you to meet our friends! Chiharu, Yamazaki, and Naoko, this is Virginia Weasley. Ginny, these are Chiharu, Yamazaki, and Naoko." Rika introduced that night, at the party. It was a Christmas party that Sonomi had set up in their honor. During their stay, Sonomi had become quite close to all three of the magical-world born students. Even Draco, who had always openly showed violent hatred towards Muggles, had melted under this kind woman's hand. Presently, the girls were introducing their new friends to their old ones.  
  
Ginny was in a simple, long-sleeved, light green dress. It's skirt reached to her knees, and it clung in all the right places. She wore green pumps on her feet and her hair was pulled back into a french braid. The dress had been made by Tomoyo, who had taken great care in fitting it just to Ginny's tastes.  
  
Sakura, who was nearby, was wearing a forest-green dress that clung to her upper body, but fluttered out at the skirt, which reached to just above her knees. The sleeves of her dress fell away at the elbow, but trailed down clear to her wrists. Her hair was pulled up into a half-ponytail, and held there by a red ribbon. She wore dark-green pumps on her feet, and the only jewelry that she wore was the emerald heart necklace that Syaoran had given her for Christmas.  
  
Meiling was in a light-red gown, that flowed to her knees. The sleeves were tight and reached to her wrists, and the neck was a V. She wore high-healed red shoes, and a string of pearls about her neck. Her hair was pulled up into ringlets at the top of her head, and secured there by pearl pins.  
  
Rika was wearing a light blue dress that reached past her knees, and had long, scalloped sleeves. It had a round neck, that was touched off by a bit of lace. She wore blue pumps, and a gold chain strung with sapphires, around her neck. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, with several blue ribbons entwined in it.  
  
Lastly, Tomoyo was in a lavender dress that reached to just below her knees. The sleeves were three-quarter, and the neck was a slight V. She wore purple pumps on her feet and a string of amethysts around her neck and on her right wrist. Her hair was pulled up into sleek coils at the top of her head and secured with amethyst pins.  
  
The young men had gone for casual dress outfits. They all wore dress shirts, slacks, and black shoes. Syaoran wore dark green shirt and pants, Eriol blue, and Draco and Neville wore black. Presently, Eriol and Syaoran were introducing Draco and Neville to Yamazaki and some of their other old friends.  
  
"Wow! You all look so great! To think that you are going to a private school in *London*! That is so romantic!" Chiharu squealed. Everyone looked at her in confusion.  
  
"Since when was Chiharu interested in 'romance'?" Rika asked. Naoko grinned.  
  
"Since Yamazaki asked her to marry him." She said slyly. Everyone gaped.  
  
"You're getting married?!?!"  
  
"Where, When?"  
  
"Congratulations! I was waiting for you both to come to your senses!"  
  
"I get to make your wedding dress!" Tomoyo shrieked, causing everyone to look at her funny. Chiharu was practically glowing as Yamazaki walked over to them and slid his arm around her waist. They shared a very passionate kiss, and got cheers from all of their friends.  
  
"Now, you can tell them about Ukawa." Chiharu shot back at Naoko. Naoko blushed and turned away.  
  
"Um...he is a very good friend..." She stammered. Chiharu snorted.  
  
"They are practically engaged." She corrected, much to Naoko's embarrassment. Just then, a handsome, blonde-haired young man came over and slipped his arm around Naoko's waist. She smiled up into his green eyes and then he led her off. Her friends tried to contain their snickers.  
  
"Well I'll be." Rika murmured.  
  
"Things certainly have changed." Tomoyo added softly, her eyes softening. Eriol nodded.  
  
"They most certainly have."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"What a night!" Rika moaned after the party, as she kicked off her shoes and collapsed onto her sleeping bag. They had all decided to sleep in the ballroom, so they could talk and party all they wanted. Tomoyo had secured several bags of popcorn, candy, and chips, and some sodas. She had also brought out a huge stack of cd's and had placed them near the large sound- system for later. Her mother had secured the butler and several gardeners to lug in the giant TV set and DVD player.  
  
The girls had placed their sleeping bags in a circle, with their heads in the middle, while the boys formed a smaller circle the same way, next to them. The snacks and things were placed in between the two groups.  
  
"Now, what do you want to do first. Movies, or games?" Tomoyo asked,  
  
"Games!" Naoko called out, her eyes shinning. It had been a long time since they had had a sleep-over.  
  
"Fine. The choices are, 'Spin-the-Bottle', 'Truth-or-Dare', or extended stories." Eriol said, his voice brimming with laughter. Syaoran glared at him, but said nothing.  
  
"Erm-extended stories sounds like fun." Neville said hesitantly. Half the people in the room gave relieved sighs, while Eriol, Tomoyo and Chiharu looked disappointed. Syaoran grinned at Eriol's foiled attempt to get Sakura and himself to tell the reason that they were going to China; yes, Syaoran knew that that was *Eriol's* wish, Tomoyo only wanted to tape a 'kawaii kiss', while Chiharu was bummed because she wouldn't get a chance to kiss Yamazaki. They got into a circle and Sakura quickly explained the game for those who had not played it before.  
  
"Alright, I'll start." Sakura continued. "Once there was a very beautiful princess who lived in a shinning palace. She had everything that she wanted, except one thing-" At this, Sakura motioned to the person on her left, who happened to be Eriol.  
  
"-a biker dude. She had always wanted a rough and tough man, but her father had made it clear that she was to marry a stiff and horrid prince. So-" Eriol stopped and pointed to Yamazaki, who was across from him, amid snickers and giggles from his friends.  
  
"-so she ran away into the forest. There, she encountered a dragon, who was well known for eating virgins. Hey, did you know that virgins-" Yamazaki never got to finish, because Chiharu hit him over the head and began to strangle him. As he fell to the floor, Yamazaki quickly pointed to Neville, and the game went on, despite a short interlude when Yamazaki and Chiharu began to make out, and Tomoyo informed them that she had to tape it.  
  
Half an hour after this, the group decided to change into their pajamas and then get ready to watch movies. When they were through, Tomoyo held up a whole sheaf of DVDs.  
  
"Which ones? We have, 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', 'Princess Monanoke', 'Spaceballs', and a whole lot more." Tomoyo said, spreading them out. In the end, they chose to watch 'Princess Monanoke' and 'Spaceballs'. After that, they spent a few more hours chatting, till it was way past midnight; but when you have been away from your friends for so long, what else would you do?!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Four days later, they were on their way to China, flying in one of the Li's private jets. Wei had come to pick them up, and see them safely back to the Li home.  
  
"China is so much bigger than Japan, isn't it?" Neville questioned.  
  
"It most certainly is, Mr. Longbottom." Wei answered, as he poured Neville a cup of tea. Meiling was sitting next to him, looking excitedly out the window. Across from them, Tomoyo and Eriol were quietly plotting ways to get Ginny and Harry together. In front of them, Sakura and Syaoran slept, Sakura's head resting on her soon-to-be-fiancee's shoulder. Across from them, sat Ginny and Nakuru, who were cooing over Rose. Fujitaka, Touya, and Yukito had decided to take a later flight and meet up with them in a few days.  
  
Suddenly, the 'Fasten Seat-belt' sign flashed on, and Tomoyo was forced to wake up Sakura and Syaoran. After the plane landed, Wei guided them through the mob of reporters, well-wishers, and other people, to the limo that was waiting outside the airport. It did not take them long to reach Syaoran's house after that.  
  
"Oh my bloody-" Neville began, but Meiling covered his mouth and grinned at the rest of them. They had just gotten out of the limo and were now standing in front of Syaoran's home; or should I say, mansion...  
  
"Welcome to the Li mansion. I hope you will enjoy your stay. Personal tours will begin as soon as introductions are over." Meiling said in a funny voice. The others laughed and all the tension was gone. They slowly walked into the entrance hall, admiring the marble floors and fern-like plants that resided in the hall. Suddenly, a beautiful, black-haired woman walked into the room and smiled at them.  
  
"Sakura darling! How are you?" She greeted, stepping forward and hugging Sakura. Sakura hugged back and smiled.  
  
"Very well, thank you." She said, stepping back. Syaoran moved forward and stiffly bowed to his mother, who hugged him as well, much to his embarrassment. She was then introduced to the three new people and greeted Tomoyo, Meiling, Rika and Eriol.  
  
"LITTLE BROTHER!"  
  
"Sakura-chan! You are looking soooooooo kawaii!"  
  
"OH! More cute people!"  
  
"Aren't they adorable!"  
  
Everyone who knew Syaoran's sisters groaned and backed up, leaving poor Ginny, Neville and Draco open to the hyper girls advances. Soon, the three foreigners began to look quite ruffled, and Yelan was forced to separate her daughters from the guests. Even Nakuru seemed to be a bit overwhelmed by the girls and clutched to little Rose as if her life depended on it. The baby had woken and was now staring at the four hyper girls with a look of innocent curiosity. Syaoran saw this.  
  
"Don't even ask. You will want to stay away from them. You don't want to end up with bows and ribbons in your hair, do you?" He warned. The baby gave a gurgle and then yawned, blinking her big eyes. Her audience grinned at this and Nakuru reminded them that Rose needed a rest.  
  
Meiling led them all to the second floor and showed them their rooms. Syaoran was the first room to the right, and it was all green, just like his favorite color. Sakura had been put in the bedroom next to his, and hers was all pink. Tomoyo was next to her, and her room was all different shades of purple. Eriol came next with a blue room. Across the hall from Syaoran was Meiling's room, which had different shades of rose and red in it. Ginny's room was next, with a light green room. Rika chose the room next to Ginny, which was painted all in light blues and greens. Draco was next, his room was a sort of yellow color. Lastly was Neville's room, which was in light orange. Nakuru and Rose were in a room on Syaoran's sisters wing.  
  
"Perhaps we had better get some sleep. We have a long week coming up." Tomoyo suggested. The exhausted group did not argue, and within the next hour, everyone had fallen asleep, dreaming of sweet things that they hoped would come true.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"Oh, Ginny! You look so beautiful!" Sakura breathed, as Ginny came out from behind the screen. The girls were now getting ready for the engagement party was being thrown for Sakura and Syaoran. Tomoyo had made all the girls dresses again, and all the girls agreed that she had done an admirable job. Earlier that week, Sakura and Syaoran had gone to the Elders with their decision, and suffice to say, the Elders were thrilled.  
  
Ginny was now clad in a shimmery, forest-green satin dress that reached to the floor; it was fitted so it was almost like a second skin, hugging her feminine curves and showing off a lot more skin than usual. It was a V- necked, halter dress, and it had a slit up the right side of the skirt that reached to just above her knees. Every time she took a step, the slit would open to reveal well-toned legs. She wore a string of emeralds across her throat, an emerald bracelet, and some dangly emerald, tear-drop earrings, courtesy of Sonomi, who had given them to Ginny as a Christmas present. Her hair was pulled up into ringlets at the top of her head, and secured with emerald-encrusted pins (also a present from Sonomi). Some curls were allowed to escape from the rest and fell down to frame her lovely face. A pair of high-healed, forest-green stiletto slippers completed the picture.  
  
Meiling was garbed in a clingy, wine-red silk dress with spaghetti-straps and a skirt that reached to the floor. She also had a silk wrapper that wrapped around her shoulders, giving her an enchanting look. Her hair was pulled up into a *very* fancy bun at the top of her head, and was secured with ruby-red ribbons. A necklace strung with rubies hung about her neck, she wore a ruby bracelet, and a pair of ruby studs in her ears. She wore ruby slippers on her feet.  
  
Rika was wearing a baby-blue, strapless chiffon dress, that had a tight bodice, but flowed out from her curvy waist all the way to the floor. She wore an aquamarine choker, bracelet and dangly earrings. Her hair was pulled back into a fancy half-ponytail, and the ponytail part was braided and then pined up in a crown at the top of her head with aquamarine pins. Blue slippers finished off the picture.  
  
Sakura was clad in an off-the-shoulder, soft pink satin gown, that clung to her body quite exquisitely at the top, and then flowed out at the skirt. The skirt reached to the floor, and a slit ran up it's right side, to just above her knee. Her hair had been pulled up into ringlets as well, but a few of them were allowed to fall down, framing her face and neck quite lovingly. She wore a choker studded with pink diamonds that Yelan had sent her, and pink diamond tear-drop earrings, also courtesy of Yelan. Pink, high-healed slippers completed the effect.  
  
And for her own dress, Tomoyo had concocted a dress of creamy satin and silk, embroidered with pearls. The dress had spaghetti-straps, and it's skirt floated down to the floor, pooling around her. It hugged her curves just right, and it looked absolutely ravishing. On her wrist she added an amethyst bracelet, and a string of amethysts and pearls hung from her neck. Her earrings were pearls, with a tiny amethyst centered directly in the middle of the setting. Her hair had been braided tastefully around her head, with a few strands allowed to flow out and curl about her face and at the nape of her neck. The creamy-white slippers she wore on her feet finished off the effect.  
  
"Now, Ginny, you will be first to go down the staircase. I will be next, then Tomoyo, then Rika, and then Sakura." Meiling stated, looking around at all the anxious, nervous girls. They nodded and exited the room.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
It was time. Everyone else had entered the Ballroom, and now it was Sakura's turn. Timidly, she approached the staircase and began to walk down, oblivious to all the admiring glances and comments that she was getting. Instead, her eyes searched the crowd until she found her father, brother and Yukito, standing beside her friends. Touya was glaring, but for some strange reason, he looked proud. Then her eyes searched the crowd until they rested upon the person who was waiting for her at the bottom of the staircase. He was in a dark-green tuxedo, and looked quite handsome. His chestnut locks were still in their every-messy style, but his eyes held something close to rapture as he watched her descend. It was Li Syaoran; Her Xiaolang.  
  
Sakura finally reached the bottom and took his outstretched hand. It was required that they dance the first dance together, but neither of them minded at all. Tenderly, as though touching something celestial, he pulled her into his arms and swirled her into the dance. The two stared into each other's eyes, hardly aware that there was anyone else in the room, until they heard a quiet, "Kawaii!" from the audience. Syaoran groaned at Tomoyo's overused phrase, and Sakura blushed.  
  
"Everyone is watching us." She whispered. Syaoran grinned.  
  
"I wonder why!" He laughed. She smiled and then looked around. Eriol had just pulled Tomoyo onto the dance floor, and they were grinning at each other. Meiling and Neville had snuck out onto one of the balconies and were slowly swaying to the music, wrapped in each other's arms. Earlier that week, Neville had shyly asked Meiling on a date, and she had happily accepted. Rika and Draco, who had been talking animatedly and sipping sparkling-cider from stemmed glasses just a few minutes before, had disappeared from the scene entirely. Ginny was presently wandering around the room, taping everything with one of Tomoyo's extra video cameras.  
  
"Why don't we go out into the gardens and dance. It will be less crowded there." Syaoran murmured into her ear, as he led her out into the night. Behind them, Tomoyo broke away from Eriol, grabbed both him and Ginny, and dragged them towards the gardens as well, pulling another of her camera's out of nowhere.  
  
In the gardens, Tomoyo ducked behind a bush, her camera trained on the now dancing Sakura and Syaoran. Eriol snuck up behind her and placed his warm hands onto her shoulders. Ginny decided that she was thirsty, and she ducked back inside to secure herself some raspberry sparkling cider.  
  
"Well, the engagement is official now." Syaoran commented, looking down at her lovingly. Sakura got a mischievous look on her face and smirked.  
  
"I can break it off anytime I want..." She threatened. He frowned and growled at her as she pulled away from him and pretended to walk calmly away. Syaoran growled again and reached out to grab her arm, his face pinched into a scowl...  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	11. The world was so simplebut what happened...

Daphne: "All right, yay, eleventh chapter...now, I want to make some things clear. Sakura will *not* be announcing her rank as the Cards Mistress for some time, so please be patient. Also, since it is not culturally acceptable in England to be engaged at such a young age (usually), Sakura and Syaoran are going to be keeping it a secret for as long as possible. Don't worry, it will all come out, but all in good time! BE PATIENT!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you, that is all I have to say!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hogwarts-Sakura Style  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 11.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Ugh! How much longer until Ginny gets back?!" Ron groaned, toying with his fork. It was a almost a full week after they had heard from Ginny, and there was still no sign of her returning anytime soon. At the present, Hermione was listening to her boyfriend in earnest, while Harry stared into space, hardly seeming to realize that most of his food was still on his plate. His mind was full of several things, but the chief thing was Ginny. All of the students, save the ones in China or Japan...or wherever they were, had returned to school the day before.  
  
"Harry? Harry!" Hermione called.  
  
"Huh? What?" Harry jolted out of his revere. Ron snickered and Hermione rolled her eyes.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore is about to speak!" She hissed, and so he was.  
  
"Now, we are going to check up on Miss Weasley and her friends. They are not expecting this, so please be understanding if they are not completely happy to see us." The headmaster chuckled, pulling out a transmitter similar to the one Ginny had contacted them with, and rubbed his finger over the red light; first came the voices.  
  
  
  
"KAWAII!"  
  
"My cute little descendent isn't wasting any time, is he?"  
  
"...so Muggles actually make this stuff? It's good!"  
  
"Isn't it though? Although I must admit, I like mixed-fruit sparkling cider, better."  
  
"What a lovely night!"  
  
"Not as lovely as you."  
  
"...I can break it off anytime I want!" Came the last, teasing voice. Then came the people themselves.  
  
  
  
There was Meiling, with her arms wrapped around Neville's neck, her head resting on his shoulder as they swayed back and forth to fancy music. They were standing in the doorway of the Great Hall. Then there was Rika and Draco, carrying stemmed glasses full of sparkling cider, walking arm-in-arm near the head table. Then there was Tomoyo, who was ducked down beside the Ravenclaw table, her camera out and going, and Eriol right behind her, with his hands on her shoulders. Then came Sakura, looking like a goddess, and completely unaware of Syaoran Li, who was sneaking up behind her, an evil look on his face!  
  
"Sakura!" Tomoyo shrieked, her face registering panic; she had just realized that they weren't in the gardens anymore, but to rest of the school, it seemed that she too, had spotted Syaoran's 'evil' intent. Sakura looked around and turned pale, while Syaoran backed off, scowling even worse than he had before. Meiling and Neville sprang apart, blushing, as did Rika and Draco. Now there was only one person missing; Ginny!  
  
"Sakura?! Tomoyo? What happened?!" Came Ginny's slightly panicked voice. Harry felt Ron relax beside him when he heard his sister's voice. Sakura turned around and sighed, her eyes sparkling with annoyance and suppressed humor.  
  
"It's alright, Ginny. Professor Dumbledore is just checking in with us." She called back. It was then that Harry realized just what the group was wearing. They were all dressed in fancy, elegant evening apparel, and they were quite the showy group. All of them moved nearer to Sakura, who was in the isle between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables. All eyes were on the stunning group and their outfits; most of the boys in the Hall were drooling and the girls were looking flabbergasted. Then there came a fluttering from the doorway and everyone turned in awe. There stood Ginny Weasley in all her glory, looking stunningly beautiful in her forest green dress and jewelry. Her hair had been pulled up and made her neck seem even more elegantly long, than usual. And that slit up her skirt...well, lets just say that some of the young men in the room went dry-mouthed, including Harry.  
  
"Well, we are alright, so you can send us back now. We were in the middle of a very important get-together, and it will seem quite strange to have me disappear from, and then reappear into the ballroom." Ginny said in a rich voice, as she glided over to her friends and grasped Sakura's hand in a comforting gesture. Dumbledore looked a bit put-off, but he nodded.  
  
"May I ask what the get-together was for?" He questioned. Panicked looks flickered across Sakura's, Meiling's, Tomoyo's, Ginny's and Eriol's faces, while Draco and Neville still seemed a bit confused.  
  
"NO!" They all chorused, looking uncomfortable. This caused everyone to get suspicious, but they didn't question any further. All this time, Syaoran had been sulking back in a corner of the room, refusing to join the others. Professors McGonagle and Figg had winked at him as he stood there, but he simply stared back, and nodded his head slightly, in recognition, though no one but them saw it.  
  
"It was a party in Syaoran's honor, Professor." Eriol finally said, admitting half the truth. The professor looked less doubtful and nodded.  
  
"Very well, you may go then." He announced. They all smiled up at him, while Ginny quickly walked over to her bother and gave him a hug.  
  
"I will be home in five days." She whispered, smiling at him. He nodded and then allowed Hermione to hug his sister. When they were through, everyone was astonished to see Ginny reach out and hug Harry as well.  
  
"We will be fine, Harry, I promise." She whispered into his ear, almost as though she had known what he was thinking at that very moment. Then she straightened and walked back over to her friends.  
  
"All right, then." Dumbledore stated, running his long finger back over the red light. The group waved and then evaporated into thin air.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"This is one nice plane!" Draco exclaimed, as they entered one of the Li's private airplanes. It had cushioned seats running up each side of it, and small clear areas where there were overstuffed chairs and sofa's bolted down to the floor. There was a small refrigerator in the rear corner, and a cabinet filled with a TV, VCR, DVD player, and a boom box stood in the front right corner of the cabin.  
  
"The sofas fold out into recliners, so we can sleep." Syaoran explained. Meiling grinned.  
  
"You know, this is the very plane that we came in, when we first visited Japan! Quite a coincidence, ne?" She joked. Just then, Wei came back and told them to buckle up for take-off. He was going to come with them, and then stay at Clow Reed's (or Eriol's, now) mansion in Hogsmede until the school year was through. Yukito and Touya were going to stay there as well, and they had all agreed, through a heated debate, that Rose would be safer there, with the men. Touya seemed more than happy to take care of her, and Nakuru had also promised to visit every day, to check on the baby; for some reason, this did not seem to disappoint Touya.  
  
When they finally turned off the 'Fasten Seat-belt' button, Meiling and Touya had fallen asleep, and the others were either finishing some last- minute homework, or reading a book.  
  
"I am going to watch a movie." Touya finally spoke up, startling everyone. For some reason, Touya's skin looked ashy, and his eyes were bright. Sakura looked at her brother for a moment and then gasped.  
  
"Touya, what is it?" She asked. Only a few minutes before, he brother had been calmly asleep, but now, he looked as though he might be sick. Even Syaoran, who had been avoiding the older boy like an disease, looked worried. Touya shook his head.  
  
"Something is going to happen. Voldemort...never mind." He mumbled, walking over to the TV cabinet and opening it, ignoring their further questions.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Agh!"  
  
Harry sat up in bed, sweating. He had had the strangest dream.  
  
  
  
*Dream*  
  
"I want those cards!" A hissing voice shouted. It was echoing through a large, empty stone cavern, that had stalactites hanging from the ceiling.  
  
"But master, what if they rebel? What if they already have a master?" Came the shaky voice that Harry knew all too well; Peter Pettigrew, alias, Wormtail.  
  
"I do not care, Wormtail! I want those cards, no matter what. Power of that magnitude would guarantee me a defeat of Dumbledore and that *Potter* scum." The last words were said in a hiss of hatred.  
  
"Yes, master. I..."  
  
"And I do not appreciate being argued with, Wormtail." Came the slow, evil drawl.  
  
"NO! Please master, I beg of you, no! No, I...AAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
*End of dream*  
  
  
  
Harry threw back his covers and bolted out of bed, and out into the common room. From there, Harry fled past the portrait and made his way outside, onto the grounds. He had to talk with Hagrid, and a certain *large dog* that Hagrid was harboring in his hut...  
  
Little did he know, that in an airplane not-so-far-away, a young man by the name of Kinomoto Touya had woken up from the very same dream.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"Were back!"  
  
"School, sweet school." Eriol said sarcastically, adding to Neville's half- pleased, half-regretful exclamation. Everyone groaned at this, and rolled their eyes. Wei, Touya, Yukito, and Rose had parted from them when they had reached the train station, and the students had continued on their way back to the school. Lugging the small carts with their trunks behind them, the group made their way up into the school.  
  
"Hey, I am really going to miss all of your dad's cooking, Sakura. Boy! Who would have thought that Japanese food could taste so good!" Neville said, as they neared the Great Hall. It was near dinnertime now, and they had decided to check in with the teachers before going up to their dormitory.  
  
"Yah, and do you remember shopping at the mall there?! Boy, that was a blast!" Ginny cried, giggling hysterically as the boys rolled their eyes. At the mall, the girls had insisted on modeling every outfit that they tried on, and made the boys sit through it.  
  
"I have never been so bored in my life!" Draco groaned. Rika hit him in the shoulder just as they passed through the doors of the Hall.  
  
"Oh, admit it, guys! You liked seeing us in those skimpy bikinis!" She teased, as the other girls laughed at the boys red faces. They would have continued this banter, if not for a loud, distinct, "Ahem" from nearby. They all turned, startled and then smiled at Professor Dumbledore, who was looking amused.  
  
"Did you have fun?" He questioned, eyeing their outfits. Since China was warmer than England, the group was dressed quite casually. The girls were all in shorts and skirts with short-sleeved tops on, and the boys were in similar attire.  
  
"OH, yes! You wouldn't believe all the things there were to see! I must have taken a hundred pictures, and used up at least seven rolls of film!" Ginny exclaimed, her cheeks flushing pink with excitement. Despite the fact that she was no longer wearing the slinky dress, most of the young men in the room still stared at her as though she were some sort of eye-candy.  
  
"They spent half the time shopping, and the rest of the time hanging out with their old friends." Neville groaned. The girls shot him lethal glares.  
  
"We did not. Meiling found plenty of time to make-out with y...humfffff!" Tomoyo's mouth was covered by Meiling's hand, as the black-haired girl blushed; Neville was no better, as his face rose to roughly the color of a ripe tomato.  
  
"Well, I am glad that you had a good time. Mr. Li, I trust that your family is well?" Dumbledore continued. Syaoran gave a stiff nod but said nothing.  
  
"Good. I suppose that you are in desperate need of some sleep, but I will tell you that there are five very anxious people waiting for you in your common room. By the way, Dobby and Winky returned to the kitchens last night." The professor told them. They all gave tired nods and then went up to face the five people that they knew would be waiting for them; Sirius, Remus, Severus, Bella, and Sophia.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"What the bloody hell is going on?! Ginny didn't even say 'hello'! And did you see who was standing right beside her? That Malfoy baffoon! What on earth is she thinking?!?!" Ron shouted, as he, Hermione and Harry wandered mindlessly through the halls, trying to sort out the events of that night. None of them had gotten very far, though.  
  
"And who would be waiting for them in their common room? Where is their common room?" Ron added. None of this added up. It was like a puzzle and most of the pieces were lost. Little did they know, that they were wandering right past the portrait of the 'pink fat lady', and into unknown territory for them. They were all too deep in their own thoughts, until:  
  
"Um.Harry? Ron? Where are we?" Hermione asked, looking around. They were in a strange stone hallway, filled with pictures of numerous things. But there was one picture that caught Harry's eye for some reason. It was a portrait of a man with long black hair and blue eyes. The man was wearing strange black robes, and he looked surprisingly like Eriol Hiiragizawa! Even more surprising, were the muffled voices coming from behind that picture!  
  
"What on earth?" Hermione murmured, walking forward and putting her hands on the artwork. The man in the portrait smirked and shook a finger at them, but said nothing. Suddenly, there was a bout of laughter and the portrait swung open, nearly nailing Ron in the face. And out of a hidden hole behind it came...  
  
"Serius?!" Harry, Ron, and Hermione shouted. Serius looked confused, and then slightly annoyed.  
  
"What are you three doing here?" He asked. They looked at each other and then all three tried to tell him at once. There was a slight giggle from behind Serius, and they all looked up to see a shocking sight. Inside the room, behind Serius, stood Professor Figg, Remus Lupin, a woman they didn't know, Sakura, Tomoyo, Rika, Ginny, Meiling, Neville, Eriol, Draco Malfoy, and Syaoran Li. Besides those people, there was also several owls, a wolf, a strange phoenix, half a dozen cats, and a...winged unicorn baby!!!  
  
"What in the *HELL* is going on?!" Ron shouted, looking outraged at the fact that Draco Malfoy and Syaoran Li were in the same room as his precious sister. Ginny rolled her eyes, stepped forward and dragged Ron into the room, looking annoyed. Harry and Hermione quickly followed, and Serius quickly closed the portrait behind them.  
  
"So...this is where you sleep." Hermione commented timidly, looking around. Tomoyo beamed.  
  
"I decorated it! Do you like it?" She asked happily, looking pleased. They looked at her and tried not to grin, telling her politely just how much they liked the room.  
  
"But you still haven't answered my question. What is going on?" Ron repeated. Remus sighed and then leaned back against one of the walls.  
  
"They are the 'Mortal Angels', Ron. They have to be protected. Plus, Syaoran is the future *Ruler of China*. Those two things put together make us a target for Voldemort. We have to make sure that the girls and Syaoran come to no harm. That is one reason why Bella and Sophia are here in the first place." Remus explained.  
  
"I suppose, but why are Neville and Malfoy here?" Harry persisted. Serius stepped forward and frowned.  
  
"That, my boy, is none of your business. Now, why don't Remus, Sophia, Bella, and I walk you back to your dorm?" Serius said, herding them towards the doorway. Ron looked back anxiously at his sister, who was now standing dangerously close to Syaoran Li.  
  
"You may try to hide some things, Ginny, but I always find out in the end." He reminded her threateningly, as he and his friends were herded out of the room.  
  
"You have no idea, Ron. No idea." She murmured, looking at the now closed portrait. The others nodded in agreement, and then went back to what they had been doing.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Later that night, Ginny found herself wide awake, staring up at the velvet draperies above her. She had pulled all the hangings closed around her bed, shutting out any and all light, but she still could not fall asleep. Ginny's owl, Diaphanous (also known as Dia), ruffled her feathers anxiously, seeming to understand her mistress's distress.  
  
"With a finally sigh, Ginny slowly got out of bed and slipped on the over- robe that Tomoyo had made for her. She was wearing a floor-length, sleeveless light green nightgown, and the over-robe was a translucent white. It buttoned to just below her breasts, and then flowed out to the ground. The sleeves of the over-gown were puffy and tied to her wrists with ribbons.  
  
"I'll be back soon." She whispered to Dia. Ginny then crept out of her room and snuck out of the portrait hole. Lost in her own thoughts, she never noticed that she was heading outside, onto the grounds.  
  
'Why can't I sleep? Why do I feel like there is a reason I need to be awake?' She wondered silently, shaking her head. It was about that time when she realized that she had reached the bank of the lake. She looked around in amazement, but not necessarily disappointment. There was little light, besides that of the moon, so she was bathed in the calm night. She made her way over to a pile of rocks on the shore, and sat down, listening to the sounds of the forest. If she listened carefully, she could even hear a sort of music flowing from deep inside the lake; the mermaids were singing.  
  
"Ginny?"  
  
Ginny turned around in alarm, only to see Harry standing there beside her, looking troubled. His eyes were flashing with a hidden emotion, and his face was tight.  
  
"Are you alright?" He questioned, sitting next to her. She looked at him for a moment and then nodded.  
  
"Harry, what is wrong? You have been so quiet." She whispered, looking out over the water. Harry sighed.  
  
"Things are so confusing. Nothing is fitting together and things are moving too fast for me to understand." He finally said, looking even more bothered. He clenched his hands onto his pants, and it was then that she realized he was only wearing a pair of loose green pants and a white muscle- T; she blushed, seeing his muscles ripple beneath the thin fabric. Even though it was the middle of winter, he seemed unfazed by the cold.  
  
"I just...I just don't know how I fit into things anymore. One minute, Dumbledore is worried about Voldemort coming after me, and the next, all he seems to think about are the 'Mortal Angels'. Not that it matters...it gives me a bit more freedom, but still. And Serius, I hardly see him anymore, despite what he told me about seeing me much more since he was staying here...I just don't know anymore, Ginny." He murmured, putting his head in his hands and grasping some of his hair between his fingers. She looked at him in pity, and then gently reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder.  
  
"I know how you feel. I am sort of lost too. I get the feeling that there is more to this, that even I don't know, but I am not sure whether it has to do with Sakura and her friends or not. They seem to tie into so many things, and yet at the same time, they don't." She agreed. He nodded.  
  
"And suddenly Neville has gone all popular on us, and Meiling is actually hanging out with a non-popular group, and Malfoy...well, he is just acting loopy." Harry said, causing Ginny to laugh, but she immediately went serious again.  
  
"Harry, you know about Neville's parents, don't you?" She questioned. He looked confused but nodded. Ginny sighed.  
  
"Well, Neville never had that much confidence, and he did want some attention. This summer, Voldemort gave him the chance to have some attention. He invited him to join the Death Eaters." Ginny whispered. Harry nearly fell of his rock in shock and he looked at Ginny in horror.  
  
"Neville refused and only just escaped with his life. He has become a lot more confident since then. And Draco, well, he is just the opposite. He was going through the Death Eater ceremony, in which he was supposed to kill a baby girl. He realized that he would never be able to do it, so he ran, taking the baby with him. She is the baby that you saw Touya taking at Christmas. Dobby, Winky, Draco, and all the rest of us have been taking care of Rose since then." Ginny explained. Now, Harry just sat still, listening.  
  
"And Harry, Snape is not all he seems. You see, he is the one who saved Neville. He also suggested that we take care of Rose, instead of giving her up to some muggle adoption agency. And what is more...he is Rika's half- guardian. He has been taking care of her since she was a baby." Ginny whispered, looking down at her hands.  
  
"But...but what about her parents?" He asked finally, his voice low and scratchy.  
  
"They died. Voldemort killed them, Harry, just like your parents. And like you, Rika never know her true parents." Ginny finished. Harry caught his breath.  
  
"But how does it all fit together?" He mussed. She sighed.  
  
"I don't know, Harry, I really don't." She replied, looking out over the lake. Harry gave a bitter laugh.  
  
"You know, ever since Cedric died, things have just started falling apart. I hardly know who I am now." He stated, looking almost like a lost little boy. Then, almost too fast for comprehension, Harry threw his arms around Ginny and smothered the sobs that rose into his chest. Ginny looked down at him in astonishment, but quickly recovered and held him close. She had known that Cedric's death was hard on him, but ever since that incident, he had never talked about it, keeping his emotions to himself.  
  
"You are Harry Potter, my brother's best friend and Hermione's closest friend. You are 'the Boy who Lived', and one of the nicest young men that I know." She said quietly, in a soothing voice, as tears filled her own eyes. After a while, Harry calmed down but stayed in her arms, his head pillowed my her shoulder.  
  
"Why are you so understanding?" He sighed. She smiled weakly.  
  
"Because I care about you and I hate to see you unhappy..." She whispered, her words slowing as he looked up at her and began to lean closer, his eyes now trained on her lips. Ginny gasped as she realized what was about to happen; then her eyes closed.  
  
Gently, his lips pressed to hers, causing shockwaves to run up both their bodies. For Ginny, she felt pure shock mixed with bliss, considering this was her first kiss, and it was coming from the boy of her dreams. As for Harry, he felt as though this was where he should have been all along; it just seemed...right, to be there in her arms. For some strange reason, it seemed to quell all of the sorrow that both of them had been feeling just a moment before, and replaced it with sheer ecstasy.  
  
Then, as quickly as it had began, the kiss ended.  
  
"Harry...what..." Ginny breathed, her voice shaking slightly. Harry groaned and reached up to kiss her again, feeling a need to taste her deeper.  
  
*AAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*  
  
Harry and Ginny broke apart, startled. The scream had been long, terrible, and horrified; and it ended with a sudden abruptness. With a frightened glance at each other, they got up and broke into a run in the direction the scream had come from. When they got there, they were horrified to see a cloud of light pink satin and lace lying on the ground...  
  
  
  
...It was Sakura.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	12. Swordplay

Daphne: "All right! Here it is! The moment that you have all been waiting for! The twelfth chapter, complete with the conclusion of why Sakura was on the ground! Enjoy!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hogwarts-Sakura Style  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 12.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
'Sakura! Sakura!'  
  
There it was! That voice again! That voice that Sakura know only in her dreams. It was Kinomoto Nadeshiko. Sakura, with her eyes still shut tightly, climbed out of bed and walked out into the hallway; she was still asleep, and was sleepwalking.  
  
'Mom?' She called, trying desperately to reach that voice. Blackness surrounded her, and suddenly she found herself walking in a field of lovely flowers. Butterflies fluttered around her face and she giggled, chasing after a particularly pretty white one. She chased it up a steep embankment, and onto a hill. There, the butterfly paused, landed on a flower, and then promptly disappeared. Suddenly, the field was gone as well, and the blackness returned, causing Sakura to whimper and tears to enter her eyes.  
  
"Yes, slut, cry! You took my Syaoran away from me, and now you will pay!" Came a voice that Sakura knew all too well. It seeped in through the darkness, and caused it all to melt away. Sakura's eyes flew open, and to her horror, she found herself on top of the Astronomy tower! To add to the situation, Rudy Kanudeson stood beside her, holding onto one of her arms tightly. Sakura still felt as though she was treading through an undercurrent in the ocean, and could not respond.  
  
"Stupid girl! You really thought that you could take Syaoran away and I would be alright with that? Well I'm not, and nobody messes with Rudy Kanudeson!" The other girl screeched in a half-crazed fashion. With that, she tightened her grip on Sakura's arm and tossed the incoherent girl over the side. Only then did Sakura return to her full alertness.  
  
"AAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Was the last sound Sakura made as she fell into the darkness below.  
  
Little did Rudy know that someone had just seen what she had done.  
  
"ELEMENT WIND!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"I feel that something is going to go wrong. Wake up the Head Boy and Girl, and all of the prefects and have them bring their houses to the Great Hall." Dumbledore commanded, looking worried. Professor McGonagle nodded, looking sleepy but just as worried and turned to leave.  
  
Professor Dumbledore sighed. It was coming. The time was near. Slowly, the old professor looked around his office and then made his way down to the Great Hall, where most of the students had already congregated, looking sleepy. It was almost the middle of the night, and most of them had not completely woken up yet. Dumbledore quickly flicked his wand, causing puffy purple sleeping bags to unroll onto the floor. The students all began to chose their bags, except for Hermione and Ron. They were looking around anxiously for Harry, Ginny and her friends.  
  
"Professor! Professor Dumbledore! We can't find Sakura anywhere! And Ginny is gone too!" Tomoyo cried, as she, Eriol, Meiling, Neville, Draco, and Rika entered the room.  
  
"Syaoran is gone as well." Meiling added, looking worried. For the first time in the number of years that they knew him, Dumbledore lost his calm.  
  
"Who last saw them, and where?" He snapped, causing the group to jump back.  
  
"Last night, when we went to bed. They were..."  
  
"Um...professor?" A hesitant voice came from the doorway and everyone turned to see a *very* pale Ginny. She was shaking violently and she looked as if she was about to faint. Behind her stood Harry, who looked no better, and floating on a stretcher that they had conjured, was...  
  
"SAKURA!" Tomoyo shrieked. It took both Rika and Eriol to hold her back from running to her friend.  
  
"What happened?!" Dumbledore boomed, looking outraged. Ginny and Harry looked at each other, unable to explain.  
  
"Rudy Kanudeson pushed her off the Astronomy Tower roof." Came a deep, wrathful voice; it was Syaoran. He walked slowly into the room, his wand trained at something that was floating listlessly in the air. Rudy Kanudeson hung there, unmoving; Syaoran had put a 'stunning charm' on her.  
  
"Mr. Li! Are you sure of this?" Dumbledore asked, his calm regained but fire still burned behind his eyes. Syaoran nodded.  
  
"I heard someone moving through the halls and I decided to investigate. It was Miss Kinomoto, and she seemed to be under a hypnosis spell of some sort. I followed Kinomoto-san up to the tower roof and got there just in time to see Rudy throw her over the edge." Syaoran explained in a monotone voice. NO matter how this news affected the students and teachers, it did not seem to affect him. Little did they know, that inside, he was breaking apart, and it took all his hatred for Rudy to keep him in one piece.  
  
"Severus? I need the strongest 'Truth-telling' potion you have; Miss Kanudeson and I need to have a little chat. It is not yet safe to return to the towers, so would you kindly keep an eye on Miss Kinomoto here, while the teachers and I figure out what to do?" Dumbledore asked. Everyone who was still awake nodded. The truth hadn't completely hit the half-conscious minds of the Hogwarts student's yet, so they all calmly went back to bed save the few that were conscious enough to understand what was going on.  
  
"Will she be alright?" Tomoyo whimpered, as Harry guided Sakura over to a pile of sleeping bags that Ron and Hermione had saved. Instead of putting the sleeping bags in a circle, like they had at Tomoyo's sleep-over, they formed close pairs of two. Ron and Hermione unzipped their sleeping bags and made them into one big one, so they could sleep closer together. Meiling and Neville were next to them, while Rika and Draco huddled together on the other side of Neville.  
  
Out of mutual agreement and partly because of what had happened earlier that night, Ginny and Harry slept in separate sleeping bags, next to each other, but across from Ron and Hermione. Tomoyo and Eriol paired up beside them, and even though Tomoyo was usually so lady-like and proper, she chose to curl up to his chest that night, for comfort. Next to them slept Syaoran, his arms around the unconscious Sakura. He knew by feeling her aura that she was alright, probably because he had used his wind card to soften her landing.  
  
It took quite a while for Syaoran to fall asleep, partly because he repeatedly checked to make sure that Sakura was still alright, and partly because of his horror that Rudy would stoop so low as to kill someone, just to get him. But eventually, Syaoran fell into a fitful sleep, waking up several times during the night to check on Sakura. Finally, at five in the morning, he woke up one last time, got up, and went outside to practice his with his sword; he was unaware that several early-risers had seen him leave, and questioned his intentions.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
"What are you doing out here so early?"  
  
Syaoran spun around to face Sakura, who had her hands planted on her hips. He raised an eyebrow and copied her motion. From the looks of it, she had been awake quite a while; long enough to get dressed into the pink battle uniform that looked similar to Meiling's.  
  
"What are you doing up? You should be in bed!" He reminded her. She turned red and shook her head.  
  
"I couldn't sleep. And I didn't get hurt, I just fainted. I have you to thank for that, using the Wind card and all." She said. He grinned and held his arms out to her. She rushed into them, and hugged him tightly, but then pulled back.  
  
"Oh, come on! You can do better than that! I almost died, you know!" She teased. His eyes glinted with merriment. Without warning, he pressed his lips to hers fiercely, drawing her into a whirlwind of dizziness and passion. She clung desperately to his neck, as her knees weakened and her mind whirled; he was in no better situation. His hands roved about her back, and his fingers gently tickled her waist. She pulled back with a gasp and a weak smile.  
  
"Well, that certainly made up for it." She murmured, still in a half- stupor. Syaoran chuckled.  
  
"It's not over yet!" He informed her, beginning to lean down again.  
  
"Oh, please! Can't you two get a room?!"  
  
Syaoran and Sakura jumped away from each other and turned to glare at the speaker, Meiling. Behind Meiling stood Rika, Ginny, Tomoyo (who had her camera trained on them), Draco, Neville, and Eriol (who was snickering loudly). They had all come outside when they found their friends missing, following Sakura's aura to where she and Syaoran were kissing.  
  
"ANYWAY, what were you doing?" Sakura asked, as they began to walk back towards the school. Syaoran smiled as he realized that he had been out for the best part of an hour.  
  
"I was just practicing with my sword a little. It has been a while since I have gotten some good training done." He pointed out. Sakura looked thoughtful.  
  
"I could use a good workout too." She murmured. Syaoran sent her a sly look, and then noticed that they were near the Great Hall. It had been put to rights, and all the students and teachers seemed to be gone from it...  
  
"You have much improved since the last time we dueled...but how about a battle, right here, right now?!" Syaoran challenged, drawing his sword and jumping up on the Gryffindor table, pointing his sword threateningly at Sakura. She stood in the doorway and looked at him innocently. He was not fooled in the least. Carefully concealed behind her back, was her fighting sword, just waiting to be used again.  
  
"Are you sure that is what you want?" She asked softly, a precious little pout coming to her lips. For a moment, it seemed that he had melted under her pout, but then he stiffened, and his eyes became hard; if you looked closely, however, you could still see a sparkle in his eye.  
  
"I am sure. Prepare to die!" He joked, but his voice was completely serious, hiding his humor. Sakura feigned a slight scowl, and then drew her sword menacingly.  
  
"So be it." Her sweet voice rang out, as she flipped onto the table and caught his sword with her own. In a great whirling and loud clanging of metal against metal, the mock-battle began. Tomoyo climbed up on the Ravenclaw table, so she could get a better view of the fight, and so her camera could catch everything that happened. Eriol climbed up next to her, and began to cheer on Sakura. Ginny, Rika, Meiling, Neville, and Draco were not far behind.  
  
"Knock his block off, Sakura!" Ginny cried.  
  
"Show her who's boss, Syaoran!" Neville yelled, getting a glare from Meiling.  
  
"Kick his butt!" Meiling shouted.  
  
"You can do it, Sakura!" Rika added.  
  
"Make her sorry for ever accepting you!" Draco yelled, pumping his arm up and down.  
  
"You are going down, my cute little descendent." Eriol joined in, grinning like a maniac, as Tomoyo elbowed him.  
  
Meanwhile, Sakura and Syaoran were moving farther down the Gryffindor table, their swords grinding at each other, as their owners flipped to avoid the other's sword, and ducked as a sword whistled past their head. With a sharp *clang*, their swords connected in an X-position, and their owner's eyes met. With one quick movement, Syaoran thrust out his foot and tripped Sakura, much to the dismay of her fans. She fell onto her back, and then flailed out and caused him to trip and fall on top of her, his hands on either side of her head, and his sword against the side of her head.  
  
"My, my, my, what have we here? A fallen cherry blossom, still as sweet as when she fell off the tree. Is she willing to accept the fact that she has fallen, or does she believe that she is still on the tree?" Syaoran breathed into her ear, making Sakura shiver in delight. She met his eyes, which smoldered and revealed his desire. Slowly, his face dipped down, with him fully intent on kissing her. She smirked and with a quick movement, sent him flying over her head as she flipped back into a fighting stance.  
  
"She is still on the tree, where else?" Sakura answered, as her sword connected with his. He was ready for her this time. With a great shove, he pushed her off the end of the table, causing their friends to shriek and yell. She, however, was not ready to quit. With quick thinking, she scrunched into a ball and rolled out near the teachers table. With a seemingly dark chuckle, Syaoran jumped off the table and approached her menacingly, his sword ready.  
  
"Oh, no!" Tomoyo feigned a squeal, burying her head in Eriol's chest, her video camera still trained on the battle. Meiling was watching anxiously, her fingers clutched around Neville's arm. Rika was pale with worry, and hardly noticed that Draco's hand was on her shoulder, so he could see better. Ginny was watching with wide eyes, a slight smile playing across her lips, and not seeming in the least disturbed.  
  
"So, my little cherry blossom, you still have it in you. All those gymnastics lessons had to account for something, ne? But I am determined to make you fall, Ying-fa!" With this, Syaoran charged at Sakura. Sakura raised her sword to strike at him, but something captured her wrist and held it in a vice-like grip.  
  
"HOE!!!!!!!" Sakura shrieked in fear, turning to face her assailant with wide green eyes.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"Where is she? Bloody! Ginny better have a good excuse for not being here!" Ron hissed, his voice filled with worry. When they had woken that morning, Ginny and her other friends had been gone from their sleeping bags. This worried more people than just Ron, but all the others kept quiet. Everyone in the Hall became silent as Dumbledore rose to speak.  
  
"Now, in light of what happened last night, I would like to make a few changes around here. In case of danger, you will all be placed under a silencing/invisibility spell. This is just a test, this time, but in the future it may come in handy. Now, I will remind you that this is just a test." Dumbledore stated, as he looked out over his confused students.  
  
Without further ado, he muttered a few charms and waved his wand. Suddenly, everybody in the room disappeared and it became deathly silent. The tables cleared of all plates, cups and utensils, and there was no sign that anyone had been there.  
  
"This is going to be bloody fun!" Ron muttered, as Harry looked at him in shock.  
  
"Wait! I can hear you!" He hissed, as Hermione groaned.  
  
"Of course you can. We can hear each other, but any enemy or other person cannot. That is how the spell works." She sighed, as they returned to watching the doors. Soon after, there came voices, moving closer and closer. Then the speakers came into view.  
  
Harry spotted Ginny among them, with Eriol close behind her and Meiling beside her, talking away. Syaoran was close behind Meiling, his face impassive. Near him stood Rika, Neville, Draco, Sakura and Tomoyo. But what shocked Harry the most, was that Sakura was dressed up in one of the strangest outfits that Harry had ever seen.  
  
It was a one-piece dress with white sleeves and neck, but it was pink until you reached abut an inch above the beautiful cherry blossom the decorated the front of it. The skirt of the dress only reached to the high part of her thighs, and even then, there was a slit up the side of the skirt, revealing a little more skin than seemed necessary...at the time. The sleeves of the dress were long and scooped, and edged in green trim, as was the end of the skirt. The collar was quite high, and it had ties that tied the two sections of collar together. (a/n: Think Meiling's battle costume, and you've got the exact look, except pink and with a cherry blossom!)  
  
Harry couldn't see them, but he was sure that most of the males in the room had their eyes pinned to that dress. Suddenly, Syaoran raced into the room, and jumped onto the end of the Gryffindor table, drawing a menacing-looking sword from its sheath on his back. Syaoran was also wearing odd clothing, namely long, puffy white pants that reached to his ankles, and a bright green tunic with long panels front and back from which hung decorative bells. The tunic was secured with a gold belt. It had long sleeves that ended in a scoop and were trimmed with a wide band of decorative gold fabric. Above the loose neckline of the tunic, peeked a high collar, similar to the auburn-haired girl's. On his feet were a pair of comfortable- looking green slippers, and on his head sat a strange green hat, trimmed with gold fabric.  
  
"You have much improved since the last time we trained...but how about a battle, right here, right now?!" Syaoran yelled. Shockingly, Sakura stepped forward and pouted a bit. Every male in the room melted in a puddle of pure delight. Sakura said something in a sweet voice, and Syaoran answered her in his menacing one. She frowned slightly, and then a smirk appeared on her lips. Before anyone could react, she pulled a sword from behind her back, jumped up on the Gryffindor table, and stabbed at him. His sword blocked hers, and then he thrust at her. Screams and horrified yells erupted from the students and teachers, but they were not heard by the two duelers, nor their friends.  
  
Meanwhile, the rest of the group had climbed up on the Ravenclaw table, and were shouting encouragement's and sly comments, while Tomoyo happily taped the whole thing. Harry then noticed that Ginny was among them, cheering for Sakura and laughing as though it was all a game. Suddenly, his attention was pulled back to the fighters, as Sakura fell on her back, and Syaoran fell over her, right in front of Harry and his friends.  
  
"My, my, my, what have we here? A fallen cherry blossom, still as sweet as when she fell off the tree. Is she willing to accept the fact that she has fallen, or does she believe that she is still on the tree?" Syaoran said breathlessly, his face only inches from hers. Harry felt anger rise to his throat, as the boy's face moved closer to Sakura's menacingly. Suddenly, Syaoran went flying, and Sakura jumped back up into her fighting stance.  
  
"She is still on the tree, where else?" She answered, before racing to attack him. Before anyone could warn her, Syaoran had tossed her off the table, and she had rolled near the teachers table. There were shrieks from her friends, as Syaoran charged at her. Sakura raised her sword to strike at him and then...her arm ceased to move.  
  
"HOE!!!!!!" She shrieked in horror, turning to look behind her.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	13. Sister, oh my sister

Daphne: "All right! Thirteenth chapter! Only two more chapters to go...but I am warning you now, there will be a sequel! Be sure to check it out! It will be called 'Leopard Spots and Zebra Stripes'. I can't tell you what it is about, because that would ruin everything, but I can tell you, it will be worth the wait. In the sequel, Sakura and Syaoran will announce their true relationship, and some other secrets will be revealed as well. But until then...content yourself with reading this! Enjoy!  
  
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Hogwarts-Sakura Style  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 13.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Please! Oh please let me go!" Sakura whimpered, tears filling her eyes; this reminded her too much of ghosts.  
  
"Sakura!"  
  
"What is the matter?!"  
  
"Let her go!" Syaoran yelled, brandishing his sword at whatever held Sakura. It released her, and her sword fell to the floor with a clang. Sakura sank to the floor, shaking violently with fear.  
  
"Sakura!" Tomoyo repeated, gracefully jumping off the table and running to her sobbing friend. Syaoran quickly sheathed his sword, and looked around in anger. He glared heatedly at the empty air behind Sakura. Eriol sighed, and jumped off the table as well, quickly followed by Ginny, Draco, Meiling, Rika and Neville, all of whom rushed over to comfort Sakura. Eriol, however, stood silently looking at the area that had captured Sakura. With a snort, he shook his head and sighed again.  
  
"Really, Dumbledore. I would have thought better of you. You know that Sakura is terrified of the very thought of ghosts. How *could* you be so careless?" Eriol reprimanded, his voice deeper than usual, and not at all like his own. He pulled out his wand and waved it, muttering something under his breath. All at once, a Hall-full of students and teachers reappeared, making Tomoyo whimper and Meiling give a shriek of surprise.  
  
Professor McGonagle now stood in front of them, her face pale. Professor Dumbledore was standing near his chair at the teachers table, and looking quite guilty. But Sakura saw none of this. Her face was buried in Tomoyo's blouse, and she was still trembling with fright.  
  
"Dumbledore, you of all people should know that when it comes to ghosts, Sakura scares easily!" Eriol chided, his voice now normal, but he was still talking as though Dumbledore was younger than him.  
  
"How could you?! They were just getting to the good part too! I wanted to see if they remembered the whole routine!" Tomoyo cried, patting her friend on the back. Syaoran glared murderously at the teachers, and his glare made most, if not all of them cower.  
  
"Oh, Sakura-chan, we are sorry! We really didn't mean to frighten you! We just wanted to try out the new defense tactic! I am sorry!" Nakuru ran around the table, to where Sakura was now calm enough to look around. She smiled weakly at the upset older woman.  
  
"It is all right, Nakuru. I know you meant no harm. I am sure it was an accident." Sakura assured her, standing up with Tomoyo's protective arm about her the whole time. She saw that Dumbledore was looking remorseful, and she giggled, a pretty, bell-like sound.  
  
"Oh, professor! Don't worry. I am fine, and it *was* rather funny I suppose." Sakura soothed, smiling prettily at him. He couldn't help but smile back, and most of the male students melted. All the girls looked at Sakura jealously. Harry, who had stood up when Sakura fell off the table, now smiled and looked down at his two friends. They were watching the scene with confusion.  
  
"I am amazed how fast she forgave them. If it had been me, I would have given them a piece of my mind." Hermione whispered. Harry grinned.  
  
"Sakura is a very sweet-tempered person. Nothing can make her mad for long, except for her brother, maybe." He chuckled. At his voice, Sakura, Tomoyo, Rika, and Ginny turned around to look at him. They all had mixed reactions. Ginny blushed royally, and looked away, while Rika smiled and winked slyly at him. Tomoyo grinned and put her camera up to her eye, taping his every move. Sakura's eyes lit up, her happy giggle came to the surface, and she waved at him.  
  
"Hello, Harry! Beautiful morning, isn't it?" She questioned, her emerald eyes sparkling at him. Many of the boys looked at him jealously. But Sakura wasn't done yet.  
  
"Hi, Hermione! Ohayo, Ron!" Sakura said, slipping into Japanese; but Ron got the drift. They smiled and waved back, before she turned back around, her face serious again.  
  
"But please tell me...who it was who grabbed me?" She pleaded. Now Professor McGonagle looked guilty.  
  
"I did. Child, how could you be so careless?! Playing with real swords indoors...*real swords*!" McGonagle added the last two words for emphasis. Now Sakura looked confused.  
  
"Yes...they are real. We couldn't practice with fake ones..." She commented naïvely. McGonagle looked as though she was fighting off a smile, and then she turned to Dumbledore.  
  
"Albus, are you going to encourage this?! They are only sixteen, and much too young to be playing with *real* swords!" McGonagle insisted. Dumbledore was about to speak, when Professor Figg stood up.  
  
"Really, Minerva! You should have listened to them, or at least asked them *why* they were practicing with the swords." She said, rolling her eyes. Nakuru giggled and walked back up next to Dumbledore, where she put her hand on his shoulder in a comforting way.  
  
"Why would I do that? The fact still remains that..."  
  
"Minerva! Syaoran has had a sword in his hand...well, practically since the day he was born, and Sakura has been practicing since she was ten. You can trust them. They will not make a mistake. And besides, sword-fighting is part of Syaoran's *mandatory* training. Ask Hagrid or Sophia. Both of them have seen Sakura and Syaoran practice, as have I." Bella said, causing Syaoran to shoot a very secret smile at her. By the end of the statement, McGonagle was beside herself.  
  
"You mean to tell me that you have handled swords before?!" She asked incredulously. Sakura smiled.  
  
"Of course. In fact, Syaoran was practicing just before we came in here." She admitted.  
  
"That is why they are still wearing those kawaii battle uniforms! Although, why Sakura bothered to get into hers in a mystery to me!" Tomoyo cried, her hand on her cheek and her eyes starry.  
  
"Oh! I forgot!" Sakura exclaimed, looking down at her outfit. At the sight of her, many of the boys began to drool again. She winked cheekily at her friends, and then leisurely snapped her fingers. Immediately, she was back in her school uniform and black robes. Syaoran quickly did the same, glaring at McGonagle still.  
  
"Sakura, you do the apology! You are the only one of us who can make this whole room fall to its knees!" Meiling hissed, elbowing the other girl. Sakura nodded and then flashed the teachers and other students a heart- wrenching smile.  
  
"Oh, we are terribly sorry for disturbing your um...defense tactics, were they? We had no right, and I'm sorry. It was really all my fault..." Sakura whimpered a bit at the end, and allowed her lower lip to tremble a bit. Every face in the room softened, and there were murmurs of 'Don't worry about it', and 'It wasn't your fault'. The small group at the front smiled slyly, and then looked up at the teachers for more directions. Bella was smirking down at them, and wagging her finger at Sakura, who grinned. Bella knew what she had just done, but she wasn't going to tell. Of course, what Bella didn't tell them, was that she had done the same thing several times in her school history, to numerous people, including the Marauders.  
  
"Right, I believe that we should be eating now." Dumbledore motioned for everyone to sit down. To everyone's surprise, Draco Malfoy chose to sit next to Rika, instead of over with his fellow Slytherins. This caused several Gryffindor's to look at him hatefully. Ginny sat on Malfoy's other side, next to Hermione.  
  
"Ginny, can you explain exactly *why* you are still in the company of Draco, despite the fact that your little trip is over?" Hermione snapped, looking angry. Ginny sighed, but said nothing.  
  
"Draco...as in Malfoy?! Ginny, are you insane?!" Ron hissed. Even Harry was getting angry, and he knew the truth. Even though Draco had seemed to change, was that any reason for Ginny to hang around him still? The answer to that was 'no' in all their opinions; but not Ginny's.  
  
"No. Neville trusts him, and so do I. I have reason to, but I can't tell you. You wouldn't understand." She whispered, turning back to her plate. Ron growled but Hermione put her finger on his lips and shook her head.  
  
"Leave her be." She whispered, making him calm and grudgingly nod his head, and then look down at Malfoy. The blond haired boy was now laughing at something Eriol had said, and it was obvious that it was an sincere laugh. Harry sighed as Eriol engaged Ginny in a lively chat about something or other. Every time that Eriol spoke with Ginny, it was as if he was no longer there. It was obvious that Eriol flirted with her, but, of course, he flirted with everyone. No, this was different. He acted as if he was honestly interested in everything she said. Even the girl beside him, Tomoyo, would tape them and giggle, murmuring things like 'kawaii couple', and 'so sweet'. Harry felt a rush of jealousy and something else rush to his throat and choke him. Had that kiss last night, meant nothing to Ginny?  
  
"Harry, are you all right? Harry?" Harry came back to earth a small, warm hand was placed on his own. He looked down, startled, only to meet two warm, doe-like eyes. Ginny was looking at him, her pretty face lined with worry. He forced a smile, and gulped down the lump in his throat.  
  
"I'm sorry Ginny, I was spacing out. What did you say?"  
  
"Oh, I was just wondering if you were all right. You looked sad for a moment." She said.  
  
"I'm fine. I was just thinking." He said. Ginny smiled and then leaned over to whisper in his ear. Her breath tickled his cheek and made him shudder with delight.  
  
"Don't they make a great couple?!" She whispered. Harry frowned.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Eriol and Tomoyo! They were made for each other, and only they don't know it, yet." She giggled, and Harry suddenly felt as though he was floating on cloud nine. She didn't like Eriol after all! She thought Tomoyo and Eriol belonged to each other! He still had a chance! Harry flashed her an genuine smile and then took care to engage her in a lively conversation before Eriol did again. Little did he know, that he was being watched carefully by a pair of blue eyes and a camera lens.  
  
"It worked! The flirt-with-Ginny-until-Harry-breaks-down-and-admits-that-he- loves-her plan is now in action!" Eriol whispered to a delighted Tomoyo.  
  
"Oh, it was so obvious that he was jealous! Did you see the looks flashing across his face?! He has it bad, and soon, both he and Ginny are going to know about it!" Tomoyo giggled. Sakura, who was next to her, heard the whole thing and rallied it to Syaoran. He frowned, but then smiled shortly, so no one could see.  
  
"Actually, it is a good thing. Ginny has loved Harry ever since her first year, and he has simply ignored her. It was about time that he realized just how much she means to him. I just hope that he is not like me and figures it out too late...or almost." Syaoran admitted, putting his arms around her waist and smiling down at her adoringly, after making sure that no one was looking. She smiled up at him lovingly and for a moment, they were the only two people in the room. No one else mattered.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"So, she was under the Imperious Curse? Is that what made her so horrible?" Sakura questioned later that day, when she and Syaoran had met Dumbledore in his office after the feast. They were talking about what Rudy had done the night before.  
  
"Not completely. Rudy already...well, highly disliked you from the beginning, because she sensed your affection for Syaoran. Even though she hated you enough to go to Voldemort for help, I truly believe that Rudy loved Syaoran deeply." Dumbledore said thoughtfully. Syaoran recoiled and looked disgusted, while Sakura quivered with grief. She hated people being mad at her, and someone who would go to such lengths to take all that she loved away...well, that frightened her even more.  
  
"Now, Sakura, are you sure that you are alright? I could ask Madam Pomfrey to..."  
  
"No, professor, I am fine." She said in a quavering voice. Syaoran put his arm around her and gently hugged her, a gesture that he would allow no one but Dumbledore and their friends to see.  
  
"Good you are dismissed." He said, his eyes twinkling in a way that told them he didn't believe a word she said. Syaoran sent him a mild glare, and then led Sakura out of the room. They quickly made their way to their common room, and noticed that everyone was asleep.  
  
"This is becoming more dangerous with every passing moment." He growled, collapsing onto an arm-chair. Sakura slid into his lap and wound her arms around his neck.  
  
"Yes, but it is only going to get worse, you know. Voldemort is getting bolder, and the muggle murders have escalated drastically." She whispered, burying her face in his neck and allowing her lips to play gently with the skin at the base of his neck. Syaoran moaned tried to stay serious. It was hard to concentrate when a pair of the sweetest lips ever known to man were running up and down your neck!  
  
"This will...all come to a conclusion...soon." He managed, slipping his arms around her waist and drawing her closer. She released her hold on his neck and nodded sleepily.  
  
"It will." She agreed, closing her eyes and allowing herself to sink into a peaceful sleep; he was not close behind.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
'Another sleepless night.' Harry thought, staring up at his red bed- hangings. He had been up for over two hours longer than any of his house- mates, and yet he felt wide awake. With a sigh, he got out of bed and slipped on the invisibility cloak, grabbed the 'Marauders Map' and his wand, and then silently exited the Gryffindor tower. He silently made his way to the library, and sat down at a vacant table.  
  
"*I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.*" He chanted, pointing his wand at the map. It filled out into a map of the school, and then he lit the tip of his wand so he could look at it.  
  
"Hmmm...Serius and Remus are secure at Hagrid's house, Dumbledore is in his office..." Harry looked over the map and smiled. McGonagle was asleep in what must have been her room, then there was Sakura and Syaoran, who seemed to have fallen asleep *extremely* close together, Filch was pacing around the fourth floor corridors, Mrs. Norris on his heels, Flitwick was in his office, levitating something that resembled a large boulder. Snape was in his dungeon office, talking with some 'R. Potter', Moaning Myrtle was...  
  
"WHAT!?!?" Harry shouted, looking back at Snape's office, a mixture of horror, disbelief and anxiety filling his body. He read the second ink-dot over several times, his mouth dropping open. "R. Potter...R. Potter...It has to be some sick coincidence! Yes, that's what it is! Someone with the same last name as me!" Harry exclaimed, trying to calm himself, but it didn't work. With a rush of dread, Harry stood up and hurried for the dungeons. His mind was spinning rapidly, causing him to become slightly dizzy, but nevertheless, he made his way down to the dreaded dungeon and opened the door cautiously.  
  
"...then Mr. Weasley poured the whole cauldron over Mr. Goyle's head. Suffice to say, he had boils popping up all over his body for the rest of the week, because the lump wouldn't visit Madam Pomfrey." Came Snape's voice, slightly softer than usual, and full of fatherly affection. There came a laugh...one that Harry knew all too well; it was Rika's.  
  
"Uncle Severus, how can someone be so dense? I mean, even Sakura isn't that dense." Rika laughed, trying to keep her giggles quiet. He smiled.  
  
"Some people don't know better. I know Goyle's parents in school, and they weren't the smartest peas in the pod, either. Now, the real geniuses of the school were in Lily's and James's groups. Together, they could throw the whole school into an uproar. Unfortunately, they tended to play more small jokes on each other, than they did *big* jokes on us Slytherins." Snape commented, looking the slightest bit dreamy. Rika frowned.  
  
"Why did they dislike each other, Uncle Severus? Lily and James both seem so nice." She murmured. Now it was his turn to frown and he said nothing.  
  
Once again, Harry looked down at the Marauders Map and then flicked his wand at it, causing it to vanish. Harry sighed quietly. The map hadn't lied to him before, and he was certain it hadn't this time. Standing there, talking to Professor Snape as though it was an everyday thing, was...Rika Sasaki-Potter.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Professor Severus Snape was about to answer, when he felt a familiar presence directly behind the door of his classroom. He felt dread and a strange anxiousness enter his body. It was time. The time he knew would come someday, but somehow, he just wasn't ready to face the truth; and yet he had to.  
  
"You may enter, Mr. Potter." Snape called, much to Rika's surprise. A guilty-looking Harry entered the room and looked from one to the other.  
  
"Harry! What on earth are you doing up? It is two 'o' clock in the morning!" Rika exclaimed, looking up at a clock on the wall. Harry smiled ruefully.  
  
"I could ask you the same question." He commented. Severus Snape sighed.  
  
"Harry, sit. You need to know something, both of you." He commented. Rika looked confused and Harry collapsed into an overstuffed chair.  
  
"Now I want you to hear me out, and try not say a word until I am done." Snape commended. Both students gave nervous nods, and for the first time in his life, Harry felt no dislike towards his Potions Master.  
  
"Now, what I am going to say will change your lives drastically. It may also cause you anger, but I will try to avoid that at all costs." Snape looked at both of them and the continued.  
  
"First of all, Rika, I have told you repeatedly that you have a brother, but I have never told you who he is. Well, now I will. Harry Potter, I would like you to meet your sister, Rika Rose Potter."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Should I stop? This would be a good place to stop...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
"WHAT?!?!?!?!"  
  
Rika and Harry stared at each other in astonishment and dawning horror.  
  
"Impossible." Harry managed to choke out. Rika nodded vigorously, looking a tad frightened. Snape smirked.  
  
"Is it? Look at the pictures of your mother, Harry, and then of your father. Rika has red-brown hair, only a bit darker than your mother's, and her eyes are just like your father's." He commented, looking sly. Harry thought about this for a moment, and then shook his head.  
  
"Impossible. How come Serius never told me? And Remus must have known, and Dumbledore..."  
  
"That is where you are wrong, Harry. None of them do know. They knew that you had a sister, but because of safety reasons (Voldemort becoming so strong), Lily and James decided to pretend that Rika had died at birth. They even got the doctors to go along with them on the story. Serius, Remus and all their other friends never knew. To them, Rika Rose Potter is dead." Snape commented. Rika gasped and sank further into her chair.  
  
"Harry, when you first held your sister when she came home from the Wizard Hospital, there was only one person present who wasn't of your family. Lily allowed me to come and see my goddaughter." The professor went on quietly.  
  
"But I thought...my dad and you..." Harry stammered, looking quite sick; Rika looked no better.  
  
"No, Harry, it was not for your father I was there. Lily and I had been secretly friends in school, even against the wishes of James's friends and mine. When she found out that Rika was going to be born, she insisted that I be named godfather of her child. She did this because Voldemort would not expect me to have her child near to me in any way, so Rika would be safest with me. The night that your parents died, Harry, Lily and James talked me into taking you, Rika, into the safety of my home. They knew that Voldemort was drawing near...they just didn't know how near." Severus Snape was pale and shaky as he told this part of the story, and Rika saw how hard it was for him to continue.  
  
"Though there were many aspects of your life that kept you alive when the 'Avada Kedavra' Curse hit you, Harry. The most powerful was your mother's sacrifice of herself for you. But the second most, and the most surprising, was the one that kept you in your own body, fully alive, unlike Voldemort." At Snape's words, both young people became confused.  
  
"You see, when your parents brought Rika home, the first thing that they did when they saw you was to hold Rika out for you to touch. As soon as your fingers touched her cheek, there was a binding between brother and sister that could never be broken. If anyone attempted to kill you with a curse, neither one of you could die without the other dying as well. So you see, since Rika was not hit by the curse, you could not die from the curse. Now, do not think that this makes you invincible. It is only with a *curse* that this works. If you are wounded in any other way, you can be killed." Severus warned. Rika and Harry sat still for a moment, thinking this over. It still seemed like such a shock that they were brother and sister, and that Severus Snape had known the whole time.  
  
"Now you see Rika, why I could never tell you who your parents were, and who your brother was, until now. If I had told you too soon, it would have been disastrous. *Anything* could have happened to you." Severus sighed, sitting back in his chair, exhausted. Rika and Harry looked at each other, and then Harry felt something tug at his conscious. Even though it had nothing...or little to do with their previous conversation, he had to know.  
  
"Professor...sorry to change the subject, but why did my parents dislike each other?" Harry questioned. Snape looked startled, and his face turned stony.  
  
"Back in our time, Harry, things were very different. Muggle borns were not just shunned, they were *hated*, by every house in this school, not just the Slytherins. Fortunately, there were schools that taught only muggle- borns, and then there were the schools, like Hogwarts, that taught both half-and-half, and pure-blood wizards and witches."  
  
"What does that have to do with anything?" Rika questioned. Snape sighed.  
  
"Lily was a muggle-born, and the first one to be invited into Hogwarts. There was a lot of prejudice going on at that time, and I must admit, the very thought of having Lily attend Hogwarts made many parents of students here, complain. But Lily, being the type of person she was, came anyway, full knowing about the discrimination that she was about to go through." Snape said quietly. Harry and Rika sat in silence, clutching each other's hand as Professor Snape began his story.  
  
  
  
*Flashback*  
  
  
  
"I can't wait!" A boy with messy black hair and mischievous brown eyes exclaimed. Beside him a boy with spiked brown hair grinned cheekily and nodded.  
  
"I hope I get into Gryffindor." Another boy murmured, his brown eyes swiveling towards the doors that Professor McGonagle had just passed through. He ran an anxious hand through his light brown hair, and his face was paler than usual.  
  
"Don't worry, Remus, I am sure that we all will." The first boy soothed, looking excitedly towards the ghosts that were passing by.  
  
"Hey, guys, check it out!" The second boy exclaimed, pointing over at a small girl standing next to them. She had rich red hair, and bright green eyes. She wasn't looking at anything in particular, and yet, she seemed to take everything in with just a glance.  
  
"I wonder who she is..." The first boy commented, looking thoughtful. There was a snort behind them and they turned to see the 'greasy haired' Severus Snape standing behind them, smirking.  
  
"*That*, Potter, is their lame excuse for what we call a 'muggle-born witch'." He sneered, spitting the last words out like a bad taste. Immediately, the three original boys got disgusted looks on their faces and turned away from the girl.  
  
Little did they know that a little figure next to them was seething in anger.  
  
'How dare they say those things about me! How dare they!' Lily Evens thought, her eyes now an angry forest green. Her mood lightened, though, when Professor McGonagle entered and led them into the Great Hall.  
  
'I will show them! I am just as good, if not better than them!' She thought with a smirk, as McGonagle met her eyes and gave her a small smile. Little did Lily know that she was being watched by a pair of sharp black eyes...  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
  
  
"I saw that Lily was determined to show that she was just as good as any of us. Even though I wouldn't admit it to myself until later, I admired her for it." Snape continued. Harry smiled at the buck of his mother, and Rika giggled.  
  
"She sounds like me!" She laughed, "I wouldn't let anyone step all over me, just because they thought that I was inferior." She added. Snape patted her knee.  
  
"I know you wouldn't. And for a whole year, Lily withstood prejudice from all the houses, even her own, Gryffindor. But her most persistent tormentor was the one and only..."  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	14. Letters from 'Water Lily'

Daphne: "Ohhhhhhh!!!!!! Fourteenth chapter! Only one more to go, and then the sequel! Well, I will quit blabbering and let you continue with the story, before you all blow up at me!!!!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hogwarts-Sakura Style  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 14.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"...James Potter." Snape finished. Rika and Harry gaped.  
  
"WHAT?!" They chorused, much to Snape's amusement.  
  
"He, as were all of us, was brought up to hate muggle-borns and think them inferior. Lily was no exception...at the time. Like I said, Lily withstood a full year of torment, until one day, Dumbledore decided to take things into his own hands."  
  
  
  
  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"I am going to kill you, Potter!" A furious Lily Evans screamed, as she left the Great Hall amid mean laughter. Her hair was green and matted, and her skin was brown with black splotches on it. At the Gryffindor table, James, Serius Black, and Peter Pettigrew laughed hysterically, while their close friend and fellow Marauder, Remus Lupin looked half-amused, half- anxious.  
  
"That will teach 'muggles' to keep away from our school!" James yelled after her.  
  
In the hallway, Lily stomped her foot angrily and worked to keep her tears in check. She stomped off through the halls to the Gryffindor common room, fully intent on going up to her room, that presently had 'GO AWAY MUGGLE', and 'MAGICALLY-IMPAIRED' painted all over her part of the room. But a voice stopped her.  
  
"Miss Evans?"  
  
It was Professor McGonagle. The older woman looked upset, and she gently put her arm around Lily's shoulder, something she did to no one else. The first lesson that Lily had learned at Hogwarts, was that most of the teachers were un-prejudiced towards muggle-borns, and tended to be quite fair when it came to dealing with the student body as a whole, and not just whether they were muggle-born or not.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore wishes to speak with you." McGonagle said softly, her eyes showing a warm-ness that they rarely showed anyone. Lily smiled and followed her. Out of the corner of her eye, Lily caught sight of a black haired young man gazing after them attentively. Lily turned and gave a quick, sly wink to her secret friend, Severus Snape, who was actually a Slytherin, and then continued to follow the professor. A few weeks into the school year, Lily had met up with Severus Snape in a hallway, and a large fight had broken out between them. She finished it by insulting the pure- bred witches and wizards to his face.  
  
"If you were really what you claim to be, you wouldn't tease people who aren't as lucky, smart or as talented as you! Magical people are *supposed* to know better, you scum-bag! But you know what? They are no better than simple ogres, because they do not practice what they preach! You are just like them, Snape! Just like them!" She had screamed, before running in the opposite direction. The next day, Severus had captured her in another hall, dragged her into an abandoned room, and apologized. Lily, surprisingly enough, had forgiven him, and ever since then, they had continued meeting in empty classrooms to work on homework or talk. Snape was probably the only thing keeping Lily from running away and never returning to Hogwarts.  
  
"We are here Miss Evans." McGonagle stated, leading Lily into Professor Dumbledore's office. Lily snapped out of her reverie and turned to see Dumbledore smiling knowingly down at her. He was the only other person who knew of her friendship to Severus. Lily shot him a small smile, and then sat down in the chair that he indicated.  
  
"Now, I have a proposition for you, Miss Evans..."  
  
  
  
*Time-skip*  
  
  
  
"HE WHAT?!" Severus yelled later that night. He and Lily had met in an empty classroom to do some last-minute homework, and Lily had just finished telling him of her meeting with Dumbledore.  
  
"He asked me if I would like to be the companion of Arabella Figg, the daughter of the Wizard British Prime Minister of America. I am to leave next week, and I will be living there until at least our fourth year. I will be taking private lessons with her and her brother, and maybe some other people." Lily finished excitedly. The prospect of actually living in America for three years was quite exciting for her, and she was already looking forward to it; Severus, however, felt his heart drop. Now he wouldn't have anyone intelligent to talk with or do homework with! He tried to smile, but failed horribly. Lily saw this and hugged him like a sister would.  
  
"Don't worry, Severus. I will write as much as I can and I promise to send you a birthday and Christmas present. But I will have to write under a code name, so no one will suspect. From now on, my pen-name is Water lily." She giggled as she said this, and Severus grinned. To his surprise, he felt a brotherly-love enter his heart, and he reached over and hugged her.  
  
"You had better write every week! I want all the details." He chuckled. She smiled and nodded, hugging him back tightly.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
  
  
Snape pulled a bright gold box from behind his back and handed it to Rika, who gazed at it in awed confusion.  
  
"What is it?" She questioned. Snape smiled.  
  
"Those are all the letters that Lily sent me over those three years. Why don't you read the first one tonight, before you go to bed, and then finish them tomorrow? Luckily, tomorrow is a Saturday!" The professor laughed. The two nodded and then left the room in silence.  
  
"You like him, don't you?" Harry suddenly asked, as they neared Rika's common room. Rika looked at him in confusion.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Draco Malfoy. You like him, I can see it." Harry said thoughtfully. Rika blushed, but said nothing. Suddenly, Harry turned, took her arm and faced her.  
  
"I don't know what is going on, but I am going to trust your judgment. After all, mum was friends with Snape, and that turned out alright." Harry said, quirking his eyebrow. Rika blushed even redder, and then led him into her common room. From there, she took him up to her room and placed a locking charm on the door.  
  
"Let's read mum's first letter." She whispered, sitting down on her bed and opening the gold box. She took out the top letter gently, and opened it. Harry sat down next to her, and put his arm around her shoulder. He didn't feel ready to let her out of his sight yet, not now that he knew that someone from his family actually *was* in fact, alive.  
  
  
  
//Dear Severus:  
  
I am having a blast! I arrived yesterday and already, I have become close friends with Arabella. She is so nice and lovely. She is quiet, but has a mischievous streak in her and she likes to play pranks on the maids. She has lovely shoulder-length blonde hair and the brightest cornflower blue eyes. I am sure that if you could see her, you would like her. And guess what! She doesn't even care if I am muggle-born or not! She says that we are all equal, no matter how we are born. I must say that I agree!  
  
Anyway, she introduced me to two of her friends, an English girl named Molly Shepherd, and Sophia Heath. Sophia has short black hair and black eyes. She is rather small, but very curvy and pretty! Then Molly...well, she is not exactly slim, but she is not fat either. She is really beautiful, with a curvy figure and ruddy red hair and hazel eyes. She is thirteen, but she fits in with us just fine!  
  
There is to be a ball here tonight, and Bella, Molly, Sophia and I are to attend. I am very excited, because I get to meet some more people my age...most of them boys, Bella tells me (Arabella insists that I call her Bella).  
  
Oh, there is the dinner bell! I must end this, but in closing, I will say that I miss you, and I hope that you are well! Owl me as soon as you possibly can!  
  
Lovingly, your friend,  
  
Water lily//  
  
  
  
"Oh, Harry! Just a few more letters? Please?" Rika begged. Harry smiled and then pulled a second one out. This one was actually a letter from Snape, to Lily, and her response letter was attached to the back of it.  
  
  
  
//Dear Water lily:  
  
All ready, people are becoming suspicious of me. I almost never get letters, and suddenly, here I am with one this morning! Boy, were they surprised. Even Potter didn't tease me until after lunch.  
  
Anyway, I am glad to hear that you are getting along well there. Boy, that Sophia sure sounds pretty. I will have to meet her someday! I am also glad that they don't care about your being muggle-born. That is something that you need to get away from!  
  
Oh, and don't worry about anyone reading this. I snuck into one of the empty classes to write it, and my owl is here waiting, so I won't have to leave the room to send it! HEHEHEHE! I'm sly!  
  
Oh. By the way, Potter has found a new target to prank. You know that Amos Diggory that always used to hit on you when no one was looking? Well, lets just say that it will take a few days before the purple hair dye washes out. It was a muggle product, and the teachers couldn't find a spell to take it out. Now...where Potter got a muggle product I will never know...  
  
Anyway, I had better go...Oh, man! That red-headed, Gryffindor third-year, Arthur Weasley just came by and poked his head in. He ran away laughing when he saw that I was writing. I heard him yelling that I was doing homework, or something like that. Now Potter will have something else to tease me about tomorrow.  
  
Hope things are better where you are,  
  
~Severus//  
  
  
  
Then they read Lily's response.  
  
  
  
//Dear Severus:  
  
Oh, I am so sorry that you had to be teased about that! That Arthur! He can be so nice at times, but horrible on others.  
  
Things here are going well. Bella just told me that this summer, we are going down to the state called 'Florida', and staying at her summer-home there. She says that it is more like a large cottage, and that she even has a boat that we can take out on the ocean! I can't wait! Sophia is already packing...she is taking at least seven bikini's. I saw her packing them all in her huge suitcase this afternoon. And Molly...she is laying on the lounge-chair next to me, reading a book. Now she is looking up at me and frowning...hehehehehe! She just told me to do something constructive with my time, instead of staring at her and breaking her concentration. (We are in Bella's huge library right now, by the way!)  
  
Across the room, Bella is climbing on one of the ladders, trying to reach a book, and Sophia is laughing at her, while curling her hair up in curlers (She just took a shower). Now she is coming over and looking over my shoulder, and I just told her to 'go away'. And she just laughed and told everyone what I wrote to you...please wait for a moment, while I strangle her!  
  
All right, I'm back now. Sophia ran out of the room screaming (hehehehehe, I'm evil! ^__^), and Bella is laughing her head off. Molly just rolled her eyes and told us to quit being so immature. That is pretty much what I am doing...all right, exactly what I am doing right now!  
  
Oh, poor Amos...although I can't say that he doesn't deserve it, so keep up the good work, Potter!  
  
Oh, my! What is the world coming too?! I just gave Potter a compliment! Someone, call in the army and kill me now!  
  
As you can see, I have gained a slight sense of humor while here, and I have also become a lot more sure of myself. Hmmm...Bella must be rubbing off on me!  
  
Anyway, I had better go. Sophia is back, and she doesn't look happy. Her curlers are all messed up!  
  
Your friend who is about to be strangled by a multi-tube-headed girl,  
  
~Water Lily//  
  
  
  
After reading this, Harry and Ginny burst out laughing. It was hard to believe that Lily had such a sense of humor!  
  
"Mother almost seems more...real, after this, doesn't she?" Rika whispered, leaning back into his arm. He smiled and then yawned.  
  
"She does. But we should go to bed. It is late." Harry pointed out, looking pointedly out her window. Rika nodded and then sighed as Harry lay back on her pillows and pulled her into his arms; he still wasn't ready to let her go.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
"He is your WHAT?!"  
  
This came from a chorus of stunned friends who were seated around Harry and Rika the next morning. Meiling was sitting on Neville's lap, in an arm- chair, while Sakura and Ginny had seated themselves on a poufs near the fire. Draco was sitting next to Rika, looking shocked and slightly nervous. Tomoyo and Eriol had taken seats across from Harry and Rika, while Syaoran leaned up against the mantel of the fireplace with his arms crossed.  
  
"He's my brother. Uncle Severus just told us...earlier this morning." Rika repeated, looking uncomfortable from all the attention. Harry looked no better.  
  
"That is wonderful, Rika. You have finally found your family!" Sakura exclaimed softly, getting up to hug her friend. Everyone joined in with congratulations, except Draco; even Syaoran gave a gruff comment. Harry noticed Draco's silence and knew what it was about. With a sigh, he stood up and leaned over so only Draco could hear his words.  
  
"We need to have a little chat." He hissed, jerking his head towards the door. Draco nodded hesitantly and followed Rika's irate brother out of the room, fully knowing what was about to happen. When they got out, Harry turned to Draco and glared at him.  
  
"I will tell you right now that I do not approve of this; but it is Rika's choice. I will not be like Touya, and try to protect her from you, but keep this in mind. If you hurt one hair on her head, I will personally see to it that all the little birdies have small chunks of Draco Malfoy to munch on for a while." Harry growled. Draco sighed.  
  
"I will not hurt her, Harry. I...I love her." Draco mumbled, a blush staining his pale cheeks. Harry's mouth dropped open and he couldn't think of anything to say.  
  
"Well...I get to be the best man at your wedding." He finally commented, looking shocked at himself. Draco looked up in astonishment, and then amusement; their eyes met, and they both burst out laughing.  
  
"You're alright, Potter." Draco chuckled. Harry shrugged.  
  
"So are you, I suppose. Now, lets go talk about the limits you have with my sister." Harry said, slinging his arm across the other boy's shoulders. Draco groaned and followed. Inside the portrait hole, Neville and Meiling were leaning against the wall, grinning.  
  
"Now that is the start of a beautiful friendship." Neville commented.  
  
"Or a crazy sister-rivalry!" Meiling laughed, as they joined the others back inside the room.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
"Now, in light of the situations that have been...occurring lately, your parents have made some complaints about the security of their children here. Therefore, we have set a specific day next week, where the parents will come and gather in the Quidditch pitch and meet with their children for the day. There will be food and games, so do not worry about being bored." Dumbledore announced a few weeks later, his eyes sparkling. There came groans from the majority of the students, causing several of the teachers to duck their heads to hide their smiles.  
  
"Ugh! Usually, we have almost a full year of freedom from our parents, and now they decided to set a play-date?! What bloody bad luck!" Ron exclaimed, miffed. Hermione and Harry grinned at his words, but Sakura looked uneasy.  
  
"I don't like this. I don't like this one bit." She whispered to Syaoran. He frowned even deeper then usual, and moved closer to her, protectively.  
  
"What is the matter?" He hissed under his breath. She fidgeted.  
  
"I don't really know. But I can sense a black aura, and it is getting nearer by the day. But it is strange. Sometimes I can sense it, and others I can't. I wonder what it means." She whispered thoughtfully. By now, Tomoyo, Eriol and Rika had discretely moved closer to their friends, and were listening anxiously. Eriol growled for the first time since they had met him.  
  
"I know who." Was all he would say.  
  
"Do you think that something is going to happen?" Tomoyo breathed, her breath tickling Eriol's ear. Both Sakura and Eriol nodded.  
  
"I do not 'think', I know. And it is not 'if' it happens, it is *when* it does." Eriol murmured back, causing Rika, Tomoyo, and Sakura to shiver.  
  
"We will be ready." Syaoran growled. Eriol shook his head.  
  
"You can never be prepared for everything, descendent. Please try to remember that." He hissed back, his voice biting; it was obvious that he was worried. By now, all their surroundings had melted away, and their conversation had taken supreme rule in their minds; but not for long.  
  
"Ahem? *AHEM!!!*"  
  
The five talkers stopped their murmuring and turned to see Dumbledore still standing, his eyes sparkling with half-annoyance, half-amusement.  
  
"Would you like to share with the others in this room?" He asked.  
  
"NO!!!" They shouted, causing everyone to give them funny looks. The group ignored this, however, and went back to eating their deserts, while Dumbledore continued his speech.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"Oh no! My mother is coming! And my sisters..." Syaoran groaned, looking down at the letter that he had received via owl that morning.  
  
"Grandma is coming, too." Neville said in a doubtful voice. He was no happier than Syaoran. Although, Harry couldn't blame him. He had witnessed several encounters where Neville's grandmother had...not been overly pleasant.  
  
"Otousan is coming! Onichan, Nakuru, Yukito, and Rose are too!" Sakura squealed, looking down at her own letter.  
  
"Mother will be there." Tomoyo added.  
  
"My parents are coming," Ginny sighed, "so are all my brothers." She grumbled. Ron groaned in dismay.  
  
"OH NO! Percy!" He moaned, causing the others to laugh.  
  
"It won't be so bad, Ron. Just remember, he has Penelope to occupy his time, and Bill has Fleur, so all you really have to worry about is Charlie, and he won't bother you." Hermione said soothingly, making him perk up.  
  
"Serius and Remus are coming too." Harry whispered, looking down at his own letter. This worried the group. If Serius were to be found out...well, it wouldn't be pleasant.  
  
"Don't worry, Harry. It will be all right." Ginny murmured, squeezing his arm gently. He felt an electric charge race through his body at her touch, but he chose to ignore it; their kiss was still fresh on his mind.  
  
"Everything will be fine." Sakura breathed, causing her friends to look at her in worry. Syaoran let out a bit of his aura and let it mingle with Sakura's. She was scared and to tell the complete truth, he was as well.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
"NO! I refuse!"  
  
"Come on, Syaoran! It isn't that bad!" Eriol chuckled slyly, gazing at his irate friend. It was the day of the parent-student get-together, and suffice to say, no one was particularly happy about it. Syaoran growled and looked down at his outfit. He wore a black tank-top under a green short- sleeved top that was left unbuttoned. Light black pants finished off the outfit. Eriol was dressed in a dark blue, short-sleeved, button-up shirt, that had the top few buttons undone, and black pants.  
  
"Why me?" The amber eyed boy groaned.  
  
"You've worn worse." Eriol reminded him with a smirk.  
  
"I hope Gran approves." Neville said anxiously, looking down at his own outfit. He wore a black shirt similar to Eriol's, and black pants. Tomoyo had made all three outfits, and she had been determined to get them to wear them.  
  
"Don't worry, Nev. You look better than you usually do." Draco commented with a sly look. He was, of course, referring to the less-than revealing Hogwarts robes and uniforms that they were forced to wear almost every day. Draco was wearing a light blue shirt, and gray pants; presently, his hands were shoved into the pant-pockets, and he was leaning against the fireplace casually, looking amused.  
  
"Are we all ready to go?" Came Tomoyo's voice. The young men looked up to see her gliding down the stairs towards them, with Ginny, Rika, and Meiling on her heals. The girls were also dressed in outfits that Tomoyo had concocted. Rika was in a light-blue shirt and skirt, with blue sandals on her feet. Meiling was in a light-red dress with spaghetti-straps and red sandals. Ginny wore a white, short-sleeved blouse with a forest-green skirt that reached just above her knees. She wore dark green sandals on her feet. Lastly, Tomoyo had made a light lavender dress for herself, complete with a boarder of white lace around the neck-line and short sleeves. She had slipped on a pair of white sandals.  
  
"Where is Sakura?" Syaoran asked, looking around. Tomoyo smiled knowingly.  
  
"She finished early and went down to the 'garden' for a while. She said that she would meet us outside." She explained, as the group made their way out the portrait-hole.  
  
"Oh! I promised Ron that I would go down with him and his friends. We could pick up Sakura on our way." Ginny suggested, as she turned down the hallway that led to the Gryffindor common room. Eriol gave her a nod, and then the group continued on its way.  
  
"I can't *wait* to see my sisters." Syaoran groaned sarcastically, as they ventured out onto the grounds. Eriol smirked, while the others groaned in agreement.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	15. Final Confrontation and a tragic end, or...

Daphne: "Hello, all! Well, here is the final chapter...of this story, anyway. There *will* be a sequel, so read my note at the end of the chapter to find out more on that! Anyway, I will not hold you in suspense any longer! Enjoy!" ~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hogwarts-Sakura Style  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 15.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Ginny, come here." Ron called in a dangerously serious voice. She had just entered the Gryffindor Common Room, and had found him, Harry, and Hermione bent over a book on one of the back tables. Confused, Ginny made her way over to them.  
  
"Explain." Ron commanded, gesturing towards the open book. Ginny frowned but looked to the page that he was pointing at. Surprisingly, there was a picture of Kero on the page, with an explanation after it. She read:  
  
'...Cerberus's borrowed form, often used when he did not wish to be recognized. It is thought that he was put into the book in this form, but that information is not confirmed...'  
  
"So...?" Ginny questioned, looking puzzled. Hermione glowered at her.  
  
"Ginny! You have mentioned someone named 'Kero', many times in our presence. Who is this 'Kero', exactly?" She snapped. Ginny rolled her eyes.  
  
"Just a stuffed bear that Sakura enchanted to come alive...oh my gosh! What is Kero doing in a book?!" Ginny gasped, looking horrified. The three older people gave each other knowing looks, while the girl groaned.  
  
"We *have* to find Sakura!" She cried, snapping the book shut and rushing from the room.  
  
"Why? What is so important?" Ron yelled, as they chased after her. Ginny sighed and shook her head, continuing on at a run.  
  
"Well, I think that this might be one of the keys that we are missing to solving this whole thing." Hermione whispered back, as she jogged beside her annoyed boyfriend. The four friends rushed down to the Great Hall, only to find it empty.  
  
"She must have already gone outside." Ginny breathed, her voice coming out worried and nervous. Again, they rushed away, into the soggy, early-morning grass of the Hogwarts Grounds.  
  
"Tomoyo!" Ginny yelled, as they ran into the Quidditch Field, panting. The dark haired girl turned away from a woman with short red-brown hair and looked at them in confusion.  
  
"Where is Sakura?" She questioned, as they came up beside her. Ginny paled.  
  
"I thought that she was with you!' She exclaimed. Tomoyo looked nervous.  
  
"Ginny dear! Ron, Harry! Hermione you look wonderful!" Came the voice of Mrs. Weasley. Ginny turned to see her mother hurrying towards them, her arms open wide. Ron winced as his mother hugged him tightly, and then proceeded to smother Ginny, Harry, and Hermione as well. Tomoyo held back a smile when she witnessed this, but her eyes were still worried. Nearby, Syaoran, Eriol, Nakuru and Rika were all talking with a strange, beautiful woman that Harry had never seen before. She had long, luxurious black hair, and sharp black eyes. She was wearing something that looked like a fancy kimono. Behind her stood four brown haired girls, looking slightly subdued; they had obviously been told to stay away from everyone, because Harry guessed that these were the overzealous sisters that Syaoran always talked about.  
  
"Are you sure that she wasn't in the garden?" Tomoyo whispered, as soon as Ginny was out of her mother's grasp.  
  
"Positive. It was just the Great Hall again, nothing special." Ginny replied. By now, Eriol, Rika, Draco, Syaoran, and Neville had joined them, leaving behind confused parents and guardians.  
  
"Where is she?" Syaoran growled, his voice low.  
  
"Syaoran, think! Feel for her." Eriol muttered, closing his eyes and concentrating.  
  
"She's frightened, but near. Something's not right!" Eriol stated, an edge of danger entering his voice. All at once, screams began to echo across the field, as the ground gave a sickening lurch and rolled underneath them.  
  
"EARTHQUAKE!!!" Someone screamed, as people began to fall to the ground because of the shaking. The people who were able to keep their footing tried to run for the exits, but for some reason, they never managed to make it that far. Either the earth would roll them backwards into the field, or they would fall before they got there.  
  
Suddenly, a streak of yellow bolted past several stunned and frightened people, and darted right into the small group of friends.  
  
"HIIRAGIZAWA-SAMA! SAKURA! He took Sakura!" Kero bellowed, ignoring the horrified looks he was getting from the bystanders. Nakuru handed Rose to a horrified Touya, and she, Yukito, and Spinnel rushed over. Again the ground shook, causing more people to fall. By now, Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron were looking at the group in horror, wondering what was going on. The earth rolled again, and the gray clouds in the sky began to swirl ominously. There was a loud rumble, and then a pause, where everything stilled.  
  
"What is happening?" Ginny whimpered. As she said this, the ground gave another terrifying jolt, which knocked everyone to the ground.  
  
"LOOK OUT!" Rika screamed, as a tearing sound was heard. The crowd watched in horror as the very middle of the field began to tear apart and move in separate directions. The rift widened and lengthened, causing several people to jump out of the way and run for cover. The ground rolled again, more violently this time, and the sky darkened to an almost black color. Heat rose from the rift in the field.  
  
"It's cracked all the way down to the mantle!" Eriol managed to croak out, as dust began to sift over them. There was another rumble, and then something appeared in the air. It looked to be a large bubble, but it was solid blue. It drifted down to where the ground had split, and then hovered above it threateningly. For a moment, no one could see anything strange with it, until Eriol allowed himself to concentrate and try to find Sakura's aura again. It was then that he made the horrifying discovery.  
  
"Sakura's in there! She's in the bubble!" He shouted, his voice openly displaying his horror. Syaoran growled and tried to make his way over to the bubble, but the ground rolled once again, throwing him back. Across the field, Tomoyo spotted, Fujitaka, her mother, and Touya looking anxiously at the bubble, and little Rose who was lying in Touya's arms, began to scream her tiny lungs out. Harry looked over and saw that the lovely lady in the kimono and the four girls behind her, were all standing, but looking rather sick and ruffled.  
  
"What's happening?" Neville whispered, as he pulled the frightened Meiling into his arms. His grandmother was lying on the ground, not far away, looking fine but frightened. Harry spotted Remus and 'Snuffles' (Serius) on the other side, near the lady in the kimono, and they looked all right. Professor Figg and her friend, Sophia were right next to Remus, and Professor McGonagle was clinging to Dumbledore's arm for dear life. Mrs. Weasley was clinging to her husband, who in turn, was looking over to make sure his sons were alright. Charlie, Bill, Fleur, Percy, Penelope, George, and Fred were all right, and standing near one of the exits. Other parents and students were laying or standing around the field in disarray, trying to recover from the last earth-roll. Harry saw the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, standing near a group of frightened teachers.  
  
"Nothing good." Was all Eriol could say. All at once, there was another shake, and a high-pitched, evil laugh rang out through the Quidditch Pitch.  
  
"Voldemort!" Harry hissed, knowing that laugh all too well. There was a pop, and then all of the sudden, several dark figures appeared in the middle of the field, grouping near the rift in the earth.  
  
"That is right, Potter." A voice hissed. There were horrified screams and yells that circulated around the field as people began to realize just who it was that was causing this. The dark figures, which turned out to be Death Eaters, moved and spread out, forming a barrier around Voldemort and pointing their wands in all directions. Harry could hear Draco's quick intake of breath, and his angry hiss. He knew that one of those people was his father.  
  
"Give me the cards, Potter." Voldemort hissed, without further ado. Harry frowned in confusion.  
  
"What cards, Voldemort?" He hissed back, with equal venom. Ginny whimpered and he felt her small form press into his back. Beside him, Meiling and Neville were clinging to each other for dear life. Tomoyo was shakily getting up, as Eriol gave her a hand, all the while keeping his eyes on Voldemort. Ron and Hermione were behind him, glaring heatedly at the intruder. It was then that Harry's gaze wandered over to Professor Dumbledore. He was looking grim, and his lips were moving ever so slowly, just enough for Harry to see what he was saying.  
  
"The time has come."  
  
"Don't play stupid with me, boy, or your little friend here will enjoy a nice ride to the depths of the earth!" Voldemort chuckled. Syaoran growled dangerously and tried to break away from Tomoyo and Eriol, who were holding him back.  
  
"What cards, Voldemort?! We have no cards that you would be interested in." Harry spat. He was not aware of Severus Snape, who was creeping up behind him, nor of Draco, who was now coming forward to stand next to Harry. Voldemort smirked and jerked his wand at the bubble, which plummeted dangerously close to the fault. Both Draco and Snape gave growls and pulled out their wands as well, pointing them at Voldemort.  
  
"The Clow Cards, boy. The Clow Cards."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Syaoran caught his breath at Voldemort's words and as he watched his beloved drop closer to the fault. All his muscles were screaming at him to run up and save her, but something told him that Voldemort would not stand for his bravery, and might even kill Sakura because of it; Therefore, he stood looking helplessly at the bubble, his heart breaking.  
  
'Syaoran.' A small voice sounded in his head. He ignored it.  
  
'Syaoran!' It was more persistent now, and it sounded familiar like...  
  
"Sakura?!" He choked, looking at the bubble anxiously. There was a pause.  
  
'Listen to me, Syaoran. This bubble is draining my energy. I am going to use 'Through', though, and send two cards out to you. Have Eriol distract him, so I can send them without detection. You will have to use them to get me out of here. From there, we will decide on the rest of the plan. But remember. This is Harry's fight. Don't kill Voldemort. He has to do that himself.' Sakura's voice warned. Syaoran realized that she must be using the voice card.  
  
'I will. Please be careful!' Syaoran warned, using his thoughts to reach her. Something like a laugh flowed through their connection.  
  
'I should be saying the same thing. I love you.' She finished, cutting it off before he could respond.  
  
"I love you, too." He whispered, before leaning over to Eriol.  
  
"Distract him! Sakura has an idea." Syaoran hissed. Eriol caught on and nodded.  
  
"I'll give you to the count of three to tell me where the cards are, before I drop your precious friend into the abyss, Potter." Voldemort spat. Eriol took this as his cue.  
  
"You won't find the cards, Voldemort!" He shouted, stepping in front of Harry. Voldemort's snake-like eyes turned to him and he sneered.  
  
"What do you know, boy?"  
  
"Oh, Eriol! Be careful!" Tomoyo whimpered. Eriol only smirked.  
  
"You just don't understand. You have no idea what you just got yourself into, Voldemort." He chuckled. Now everyone was looking at Eriol as though he were crazy. The young man was acting as if this were all a game!  
  
"You are not worth my time! Malfoy, kill him." Voldemort spat, turning away. One of the dark forms, obviously Draco's father, lifted his wand and pointed it at Eriol. There was a flash of green light and several people screamed. Eriol, however, did not flinch. The green light blasted towards him, but at the last moment, evaporated into nothingness, right in front of him. Voldemort turned when he saw that the boy was still standing, and growled.  
  
"How?!"  
  
"I should think you would know, *Tom Riddle*! You always were smart in school, or so I have heard." Eriol mocked, using Voldemort's true name. Voldemort looked outraged.  
  
"You don't know what you are playing with, boy!" He hissed, his voice promising death. Eriol simply smirked.  
  
"Oh no, Tom. *You* do not know what *you* are playing with." He returned, taking his key out of its confines and holding it in front of him.  
  
"Ruby Moon, Spinnel Sun, I command you to change into your true forms. Cerberus, Yue, change for your mistress's sake." Eriol commanded in a deep voice. A strong wind came up and as the astonished crowd watched, Nakuru and Spinnel began to change into their true forms, Nakuru as her fairy-like self, and Spinnel as his panther-like self. Yukito fainted, and Yue's wings surrounded him. Kero's large wings enveloped him, and when he reappeared, his lion form was in all its glory. Yue too, seemed to almost glow red, with his anger.  
  
They were not the only ones who had changed. Now, Eriol was wearing his dark-blue robes with suns and moons all over it. His hat was nowhere in sight, however. Next to him, Tomoyo stood in a flowing lavender dress that reached to the ground. It had a scooped neck and scooped sleeves, and was easy to move in. Her hair was braided around her head like a crown. Meiling had changed into a flowing red dress similar to Tomoyo's, and her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. Rika could be seen in a blue dress like the other two, and her hair was pulled back into a braid. Syaoran was on Eriol's other side, wearing an outfit similar to the one he had been wearing when he and Sakura had caught the final card.  
  
When Voldemort's attention had been solely on Eriol, Sakura had managed to sneak the two cards out to him. They were the 'Fly' and the 'Erase'. Syaoran knew then, what she wanted him to do. It was risky, but it was the only chance that they had. With a swift motion, Syaoran drew his sword and taped it lightly on the 'Fly' card. He looked back to see two white wings sprouting from his back. With a smirk of satisfaction, he turned his attention back to Voldemort, and waited for his opening.  
  
"WHO ARE YOU?!?!" Voldemort roared, as the growling Kero and Spinnel came into view. Ruby Moon and Yue stood protectively in front of the un-armed part of the group. Syaoran grinned and activated the 'Erase' card.  
  
"OH NO! SAKURA!!!" Tomoyo shrieked, as the bubble disintegrated from around the seemingly unconscious girl. The crowd gasped and watched helplessly as Sakura plummeted into the fault. With one swift movement, Syaoran rocketed from his place and dove into the void after her, among screams and yells from his family, friends and watchers.  
  
"Stupid boy!" Voldemort hissed, turning back around to face Eriol, who was still smirking.  
  
"Oh, no, Tom. Your the stupid one. You see, the moment that you kidnapped that girl, your fate was sealed." Eriol said calmly. Voldemort hissed, his eyes widening in recollection.  
  
"I know you, now. You're Clow Reed!" At his words, Eriol laughed outright.  
  
"Only half of his reincarnated form, Tom. You see, that man over there, Kinomoto Fujitaka, is my other half. And he also happens to be the father of that girl you just kidnapped, Kinomoto Sakura." Eriol chuckled. This brought mixed reactions. For the Card Captor gang, it was no new thing. For the bystanders, it was the shock of a life-time. For Voldemort, it was a horrific joke, made into reality.  
  
"And that girl...the one that you kidnapped..just happened to be..." Eriol said slowly, drawing it out...  
  
  
  
  
  
"...the Mistress of the Sakura Cards, the evolved form of the Clow Cards."  
  
"SHE'S WHAT?!?!" Voldemort screamed. Even Dumbledore, who usually knew everything, looked astonished. It was at that moment, that a bright light emitted from the crevasse and blinded everyone temporarily. When their vision returned, they were just in time to see a streak of blue-green dart from the fissure and rise into the sky. Then it began to plummet to earth, seemingly unstoppable.  
  
"Now! Shield Card! Light and Dark Cards!" Came Sakura's sweet voice. There was another flash, and then two women appeared next to Eriol, one was almost all black, the other, all white. They bowed to him, and then flowed around the arena, forming a see-through barrier cutting off the bystanders from the Card Captor gang, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Draco.  
  
"Shield! Form a barrier around the Death Eaters and Voldemort!" Sakura yelled. A dome-like thing covered the persons mentioned, just as Syaoran and Sakura landed in front of Eriol. Syaoran was holding his beloved in his arms, while she clung to his neck with one arm. In the other was her staff.  
  
"Meiling, Tomoyo, Neville, Draco, Ron, Hermione, Ginny. I want you all to go into Light and Dark's barrier. You will be safe there." Sakura commanded. Meiling looked as if she were about to argue, but Neville put a finger to her lips and shook his head. With a sigh, she followed him into the barrier, casting a fearful look behind her as she went. Tomoyo, however, shook her head and stepped next to Eriol. Ginny followed her example and took Harry's hand. Ron and Hermione also refused to leave their friends, as did Draco.  
  
"What is this?!" For the first time, Voldemort sounded panicked.  
  
"It will keep your attacks from reaching us, and it will also store up enough energy to kill, if need be." Sakura stated. Several of the Death Eaters had begun to throw curses at the shield, only to have them evaporate into it. Little did they know that it was storing up all their attacks.  
  
"I would stop doing that." Eriol warned; they took no heed.  
  
"All right, then, Harry. It is your turn. Do this for your parents." Eriol said, stepping back a bit, as did Sakura and Syaoran. Harry nodded, and then stepped forward.  
  
"I have only one thing to say. I was willing to let you live, Peter Pettigrew. I was content with having you in jail for what you did to my parents. But I was wrong. You helped to bring Voldemort back to life, and therefore helped in killing hundreds more innocent people. You allowed all of that blame to go to Serius Black, who in reality, was innocent. For that reason do I publicly announce that Peter Pettigrew is at this very moment in that group of Death Eaters, and he is alive and well. May he never kill another person again." Harry shouted, pointing his wand at the shield.  
  
"Avada Kedavra!" Harry shouted. All at once, a green light exploded from the end of his wand, and hit into the shield; this caused cries of immense pain to emit from inside the shield. Ginny whimpered and buried her head in Harry's back. Hermione whimpered and put her face in her hands, while Ron rubbed her back, his face filled with horror. Next to them, Tomoyo sobbed and huddled closer to Eriol, her face hidden in his shirt. Sakura too, buried her face in Syaoran's chest and refused to look at what was happening; Syaoran, however, stood watching with a look of hatred on his face.  
  
"Nothing's happening." He whispered, worry lacing his words. Eriol looked up in shock and then began to back away. Harry, realizing that something was wrong, followed his example, letting his hand drop as he began to nudge Ginny away.  
  
"Run! It is going to explode!" Eriol shouted, pulling Tomoyo into a run. With horrified looks, Yue and Ruby Moon took off into the air, while Cerberus and Spinnel Sun hurried beside their masters.  
  
"It's too late!" Sakura screamed, as a white light filled the stadium, followed by a ear-popping boom. There was a horrifying, high-pitched scream, and the group was tossed to the ground from the impact.  
  
The last thing that Sakura consciously saw, was her own hand hitting the ground in front of her, still clutching the 'Time', 'Return', and 'Erase' cards.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
*THE END*  
  
...or is it?  
  
SEQUEL!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Daphne: "Yes, I am telling you, there will be a sequel called 'Leopard Spots and Zebra Stripes'! The sequel will be a bit shorter, I think, but you will like it, I promise!!!! Now...would you like a preview of the new story? I thought so! Here it is, folks, the moment you have all been waiting for!!!!!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Leopard Spots and Zebra Stripes.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Silence. It was deafening, and yet, it was so familiar.  
  
Cold. No warmth to be found, no comfort, no relief from the feeling of alienation.  
  
Alone. Not a familiar presence in sight, unless you counted the silence...  
  
Fear. 'Where am I?'  
  
~*~*~*~ 


End file.
